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Chapter 772: If Youve Got What It Takes, Fight!
As the bells tolled, the streets of Arch-Emperor City filled with a sea of people. It was the same up above, too, with countless figures flying up to the imperial palace.
The city guard was out in full force to keep order and make sure that nothing unexpected happened on this day of ancestral sacrifice.
Of course, there was little chance of something like that; the city guard carried out their duties with the utmost loyalty. In fact, the area near the Inspections Manor was especially heavily guarded.
The matter with the two heavenly marquises the previous month had been monumental. The new inspections commissioner had made a huge splash, and was the target of almost universal animosity in the dynasty. If any mishaps occurred regarding him, it could affect the ancestral sacrifices, and that was something the city guard couldn't let happen.
Even as the city guard paid special attention to keep the Inspections Manor safe, Bai Xiaochun flew up from inside of it, surrounded by a thousand corpse troopers.
As he did, the nearby nobles and aristocrats noticed, and many gazes came to be fixed on him. They all contained mixed emotions, with everything from hatred to fear.
When Bai Xiaochun sensed so many people looking at him, he cleared his throat, clasped his hands behind his back, and stuck his chin up. He even glared back at the people who looked at him with hateful expressions, making it look like he wasn't afraid of anything in the world.
His haughty expression said it all: If you've got what it takes, then bring it on!
And that was the truth! He had the backing of the Grand Heavenmaster, as well as 1,000 corpse troopers. That meant that Bai Xiaochun could stare down the heavenly dukes if he wanted to, much less the heavenly marquises.
When the noble and aristocratic cultivators flying in the air sensed Bai Xiaochun's attitude, they frowned, then looked fearfully at his corpse troopers before returning their focus to the imperial palace and flying onward.
"What a bunch of wusses. All shaking in their boots at the sight of the inspections commissioner!" Feeling very pleased, he continued to swagger his way slowly onward toward the imperial palace.
Of course, it wasn't just the nobility and aristocracy flying through the air who noticed Bai Xiaochun. The common people down below in the city, countless soul cultivators and savage giants, all watched Bai Xiaochun flying upward.
"Inspections Commissioner Bai Hao!"
"That's him! Last month, he shook down the clans of two heavenly marquises…."
"Nobody's seen him for a month, but now that it's time for the ancestral sacrifices, here he is. He's definitely going to cause another scene…."
In response to the buzz of conversation, the city guards in the area grew more vigilant. Although they didn't flock to surround Bai Xiaochun, they did look around with killing intent, ready to leap to intervene if anything unexpected happened.
Feeling very well protected, Bai Xiaochun continued onward with keen anticipation of what was to come. The mere thought of his plans for the ancestral sacrifices had him so excited he could hardly control himself.
"My month of secluded meditation was very productive. I finally succeeded with seventeen-colored flame… and Hao'er made significant progress in his auguries of eighteen-colored flame. I bet it won't be long before the formula for eighteen-colored flame is complete.
"Once I have that formula, and succeed in conjuring that flame… then I'll finally be an earthly necromancer!" Having reached this point in his train of thought, he shivered in anticipation. At the moment, it seemed as if the sky were the limit, and it was truly a wonderful feeling.
"There are only three earthly necromancers in all of the Wildlands. If I succeed, then I'll be the fourth!" In the Wildlands, earthly necromancers were so rare that their position was roughly the same as the heavenly dukes!
In fact, in some ways, they actually surpassed the heavenly dukes. As long as such a person didn't betray the Wildlands, they could do anything they pleased. They could even commit grave offences that were normally punished with the death penalty, but be exempt because of their position!
After all… there were dozens of devas in the Wildlands, but there were only three earthly necromancers!
"But that's only secondary. The most important thing is that if I can conjure eighteen-colored flame, then that means I could perform spirit enhancements on my nascent soul! In one fell swoop, I could push my cultivation base all the way to the late Nascent Soul stage!!" Such thoughts made Bai Xiaochun even more excited. After all, he was currently in the mid Nascent Soul stage, but could defeat half-devas in battle. If he reached the late Nascent Soul stage… then he could most likely win against a true deva!
"Even if I can't, well, just wait until I'm in the great circle. Then I'll definitely be able to defeat devas!" Bai Xiaochun couldn't have been in higher spirits. He even picked up speed as he headed toward the imperial palace. He and his corpse troopers were bright beams of light that shot toward the east gate of the palace.
As he approached, a middle-aged man could be seen off in the distance. He was threatening without being angry, dressed in a long golden robe embroidered with images of suns, moons, and clouds. Overall, he looked extremely impressive.
Furthermore, whenever people passed him by, they would respectfully clasp hands and bow in greeting.
That man was none other than one of the ten heavenly dukes, Chen Haosong!
He wasn't standing there alone. Next to him was a tall, well-built man wearing an official robe embroidered with a golden python. From his burly frame, it was possible to tell that he possessed extraordinary fleshly body power, and yet, he stood respectfully a full pace behind Chen Haosong.
As soon as Bai Xiaochun caught sight of Chen Haosong, he snorted coldly in his heart. As for Chen Haosong, a cold gleam passed through his eyes, along with an expression of revulsion that he did nothing to conceal.
Bai Xiaochun had seen the burly man before as well. He closely resembled Zhao Dongshan, and was in fact one of the senior members of Zhao Dongshan's clan. He was not an ordinary heavenly marquis, but rather, one of the nine extremely powerful heavenly marquises who had ganged up on Bai Xiaochun!
The burly man glanced at Bai Xiaochun, and then laughed coldly.
"The ancestral sacrifices are for heavenly dukes and heavenly marquises," he said in a booming voice. "What is this trash doing here?"
His voice was so loud that all of the assembled nobility and aristocracy near the east gate could hear him quite clearly.
None of those people had a very good impression of Bai Xiaochun, so they immediately broke out into scornful glances as they looked over at him.
Bai Xiaochun's anger flared, and he glared back at them. Considering that he had the full support of the Grand Heavenmaster, he wasn't scared of these people at all. In fact, he immediately pointed at the burly man.
"This person has disrespected the Grand Heavenmaster! Arrest him!" His 1,000 corpse troopers immediately looked up, and then 100 of them charged toward the burly man.
Never could this man have guessed that Bai Xiaochun would dare to take action here, at the east gate of the imperial palace, on the day of the ancestral sacrifices. Expression flickering, he was just about to back up when Chen Haosong interrupted with a cold snort.
"Enough with the melodrama!" he said, taking a step forward.
His voice echoed with explosive might, causing the advancing corpse troopers to tremble visibly, and then lurch to a stop, as if they had been sealed in place.
At the same time, Chen Haosong's foot landed, and explosive energy surged out from him. A windstorm immediately kicked up, grabbing the 100 corpse troopers and hurling them back toward Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun's eyes widened into a deeper glare, and he was just about to say something when Chen Haosong spoke.
"Zhao Xionglin is a heavenly marquis, and is within his rights to berate you! If you won't bow your head and accept it, fine, but how dare you go and slander--"
"The Grand Heavenmaster himself appointed me as the inspections commissioner!" Bai Xiaochun interrupted loudly, sticking his chin up. "He expressly ordered me to participate in the ancestral sacrifices. For Zhao Xionglin to speak so rudely, and even berate me, is equivalent to him countermanding the decrees of the Grand Heavenmaster! For me to say that he is showing disrespect is actually letting him off the hook lightly!"
"You!!" Zhao Xionglin blurted angrily. Although he had heard that this Bai Hao was relatively sharp-tongued, he had never imagined that he could so easily twist matters to make it seem like Zhao Xionglin himself was insulting the Grand Heavenmaster.
"Is that all you can say? 'You'? If you've got what it takes, then see if you can fight all 1,000 of my corpse troopers! If 1,000 is too much, then how about 100? Pick any 100 you like, and see if you don't end up dying by my hands!" As Bai Xiaochun spoke, the murderous aura coming from his 1,000 corpse troopers grew even more intense.
"How shameless!" Zhao Xionglin growled through gritted teeth. Although he was one of the strongest among the heavenly marquises, there was no way he could defeat 100 corpse troopers in a fight, much less 1,000. The corpse troopers didn't fear death at all, and had the toughest bodies imaginable. When they attacked, they caused blood to splash, and didn't stop until the battle was over.
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Chapter 773: The Reigning Arch-Emperor
"Did you just say that I'm shameless? How could the Grand Heavenmaster appoint a shameless person to be the inspections commissioner, a position which requires uprightness and resistance to flattery? You're basically saying that the Grand Heavenmaster is blind, aren't you?!" Bai Xiaochun's eyes flickered with delight. If this Zhao Xionglin had just kept his mouth shut, it would have been a lot better for him. Everything he said could be found fault with.
"Zhao Xionglin, you clearly suspect me, the Inspections Manor as a whole, and the Grand Heavenmaster himself! Could it be that you are in fact an accomplice of the traitorous heavenly marquises from the Li and Chen Clans?!?!"
With that, he waved his hand and said, "Men, take charge of the entrance to the imperial palace. Let everyone in except for this miscreant Zhao Xionglin!"
A large contingent of corpse troopers immediately rushed over to block the east gate of the imperial palace.
The other nobles and aristocrats in the area couldn't help but gasp at the sight of Bai Xiaochun's ruthless tactics. For many, it provided a very clear picture of this person whom they had never actually witnessed in action. It also went to further how threatening he seemed to them.
As for the city guards, they looked on with wry smiles. After all, this was not a situation they could interfere with. The only thing they could do was report the matter to their superiors.
The entire thing was a huge headache as far as Chen Haosong was concerned. To him, Bai Xiaochun was like a stick covered with thorns; although he should have been easy to snap in half, the thorns made him very difficult to deal with.
If that were all there were to it, it might not be a big deal. But Bai Xiaochun was completely sharp-tongued. He turned black into white if he wanted, and if one wasn't extremely careful with one's wording, he could easily twist words into weapons.
Seeing how furious Zhao Xionglin was, Chen Haosong frowned and said, "Enough!"
Waving his sleeve, he sent another blast of wind out to sweep away the corpse troopers Bai Xiaochun had just sent to block the door. Even Bai Xiaochun was hit by the wind, and was pushed backward a few dozen meters.
In the instant that Bai Xiaochun was pushed back. Chen Haosong blurred into motion, entering the east gate. As for Zhao Xionglin, he gritted his teeth and followed, casting a murderous glance at Bai Xiaochun over his shoulder as he did.
The rest of the nobility and aristocracy were all essentially on the same side in the matter, and had no good feelings regarding Bai Xiaochun whatsoever. They also took to motion, flying through the east gate.
Bai Xiaochun was not pleased at all with what was happening.
"Using a high cultivation base to trample people below you, huh?" he said loudly. "Well, if you were as tough as you think you are, then you would fight my corpse troopers!" While Bai Xiaochun grumbled to himself a bit, the city guards averted their gazes and sighed. It was really an awkward thing to hear the inspections commissioner, who was backed by the Grand Heavenmaster, complaining about people relying on high cultivation bases to accomplish things….
After everyone else entered the imperial palace, Bai Xiaochun clasped his hands behind his back, stuck his chin up, and headed toward the east gate. His corpse troopers followed. However, when the city guards saw that, one of them braced himself and stepped in the way.
Although he wasn't very happy to have to do this, he had no choice but to say, "Exalted Inspections Commissioner… uh… on the day of ancestral sacrifices, your subordinates aren't permitted to enter."
With that, he stood there looking nervously at Bai Xiaochun.
"Huh?" Bai Xiaochun said, taken aback. After confirming that he had heard correctly, he stood there, flabbergasted.
"They can't go in? Wait a second, there are a whole bunch of people in there with cultivation bases higher than me! And they all want to kill me! If I go in alone, I'll be in way too much danger!" Nervous, he tried to negotiate with the city guard, but the man could only smile wryly and shake his head.
At this point, Bai Xiaochun's face fell. If he had known that things would be like this, he would have just held his tongue earlier…. As he stood there hesitating, he realized that the bells were about to stop tolling. Sighing, he ordered the corpse troopers to stand guard near the gate, and then cautiously entered the imperial palace.
Once inside, he did not look like he had moments ago, like the type of person who wasn't afraid of anything in the world…. Instead, he exercised the utmost caution, and even walked as quietly as was possible.
Thankfully, because he was actually arriving a bit late, all of the members of the nobility and aristocracy were already in the main square. Furthermore, there were plenty of guards around to show the way. As such, he arrived at the square just as the bells finished tolling.
The square was huge, and featured eighteen enormous pillars with coiling dragons on them that were so high that they seemed to touch the heavens above. The ground was covered with green limestone slabs that emanated spiritual energy. In the middle of the square was a huge bell, which was still reverberating from the tolling moments ago.
A ring of soul cultivator guards surrounded the bell, all of them wearing somber expressions. In two positions of honor on the left side of the square were Mistress Red-Dust and Zhou Hong.
In the positions of honor on the right side were the Junior Champion King Gongsun Yi, and the heir apparent of Spirit Advent City, the older brother of Xu Shan.
Clearly, these four represented the four heavenly kings. Not a single one of them acknowledged Bai Xiaochun's presence, and merely stood in place with their eyes closed.
Behind those four were the ten heavenly dukes, including Chen Haosong, who stood third from the left.
Behind the ten heavenly dukes were the more than 100 heavenly marquises. Among them was Zhao Xionglin, who cast a frosty glance at Bai Xiaochun, and snorted coldly.
All of the heavenly marquises and heavenly dukes were organized by rank. Behind them were other important government officials, who were all high-ranking and powerful. There were several thousand of them, and each one wore an expression of devout respect.
Bai Xiaochun had a spot among the larger group. However considering that he was more important than any of the other officials, he actually stood in front of them, just behind the heavenly marquises.
Few of the important officials had ever seen Bai Xiaochun, although most had heard stories about him. They knew that he was different from the heavenly marquises and heavenly dukes, and actually, few of them had ill feelings toward him. In fact, many of them wished to ingratiate themselves to him.
When Bai Xiaochun saw that most of the officials were looking at him with goodwill in their eyes, he sighed with relief, and even gave a few smiles and nods to them. Then he looked over at the main hall of the imperial palace, and a strange feeling rose up inside of him.
"The Arch-Emperor…. Although the Grand Heavenmaster holds all of the power, the Arch-Emperor… is the true representative of the imperial clan. He is the official ruler of the Wildlands…." For all he knew, he was the first person from the Heavenspan River region to stand in this square in the imperial palace. And perhaps he would be the last.
The fact that his journey through the Wildlands had landed him in this spot caused him to sigh with pride.
"Just wait until I get back to the River-Defying Sect and recount all of my stories to Xiaomei, Junwan, Big Fatty Zhang and Uncle Li."
Then, he blinked and refocused on the violet-colored main hall. The hall itself was built from nine golden dragon statues that looked so lifelike they seemed they might fly up into the sky at any moment.
Just looking at the place caused pressure to weigh down on Bai Xiaochun. He could also sense that those nine golden dragons were a spell formation of some sort.
"All the other times I came to the imperial palace, I visited Heavenmaster Hall. This is my first time visiting the main hall of the palace. I wonder what the Arch-Emperor actually looks like."
After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, the previously silent bell once again rang out loud and clear. Then, the door of the main hall slowly opened, and the nine golden dragons opened their eyes. Incredible energy surged out, and everyone in the audience could hear something like the roaring chant of dragons. Those who listened closely soon found themselves slipping into a daze.
Bai Xiaochun was no exception. Even as he looked on, the opened door revealed a dozen extremely good-looking soul cultivators. Some were men and some were women, but all of them wore extravagant robes. One of them was none other than the second prince.
These were the princes and princesses of the imperial clan, although not all of them. They were only a small group who represented the whole.
In front of that group were two old men whose hands were tucked into the opposite sleeves of their voluminous robes. They were stooped over, and didn't seem very impressive, and yet there was something very sinister about them.
Beyond the two old men, at the very end of the hall, were two thrones, one large and one small. The large throne was completely golden in color, and was of course the dragon throne. Sitting upon it was a middle-aged man wearing imperial robes and an imperial crown.
Although it was impossible to make out his features clearly at first, there was something grand and noble about him; his appearance, coupled with the chanting roar of the dragons, made him truly seem like the most paragon entity in all creation!
This god-like figure was none other than the reigning Arch-Emperor!
Bai Xiaochun was shaken. Although he couldn't make out the expression on the face of the Arch-Emperor, he could sense the man's eyes. They seemed to contain stars and heavenly bodies, and were the type that would leave a person's mind reeling to simply gaze upon them.
However, that sensation quickly passed as his gaze was drawn to the smaller throne. Although that throne was smaller, it was actually placed on a higher level than the Dragon Throne itself!
It was pitch-black, and seemingly ordinary in all aspects. It was empty at the moment, but everyone in the square, including all of the ministers and generals of the imperial court, were all looking at it!
That throne… belonged to the Grand Heavenmaster!
Even as everyone stared at that black throne, one of the stooped old men called out in a piercing voice, "Grand Heavenmaster, your presence is requested!"
As his voice rang out, the clouds above seethed, and the enormous dragon that had been so curious about Bai Xiaochun in the past suddenly lowered its head. Then it roared, a roar that suppressed the call of the nine dragons down below as, at the same time, the Grand Heavenmaster mysteriously appeared on the black throne!
Everyone present was shaken, even the heavenly dukes. Simultaneously, they all averted their gazes, clasped hands, and bowed.
"Greetings, Grand Heavenmaster! Greetings, Arch-Emperor!"
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Chapter 774: Your Majesty, I Snatched A Deva Soul!
The thousands of people gathered outside of the hall clasped hands in formal greeting, their voices ringing out to shake heaven and earth.
Inside the hall, the second prince and the other members of the imperial clan didn't dare to reveal a trace of defiance, and also offered formal greetings.
Only the Arch-Emperor himself didn't join in. His hands tightened onto the arms of the dragon throne for a moment, but then relaxed.
As for Bai Xiaochun, he was measuring up both the Arch-Emperor and the Grand Heavenmaster.
"So, this is the Arch-Emperor?" he murmured to himself. "Doesn't seem like much when compared to the Grand Heavenmaster."
The echo of the voices lasted for a moment before fading away. As for the Grand Heavenmaster, he sat on his throne, face completely expressionless, seemingly there only to observe the ancestral sacrifices, and not inclined to speak at all.
The Arch-Emperor let the moment stretch out for a bit, then looked at the two stooped, sinister old men, and nodded slightly.
Having been given this vague order from the Arch-Emperor, the two old men exchanged a glance, and both of them could see in the other's eyes that they were fearful of the Grand Heavenmaster's reaction. After a moment, one of them turned to face the square outside of the hall and began to recite the sacrificial invocation. As his words echoed out, they seemed to contain a bizarre resonance which caused the clouds up above to churn into the form of a vortex.
As the vortex spun and grew larger, the enormous dragon from earlier vanished.
The strange portents didn't provoke a reaction from the crowd, as though they had been expecting all of this. However, it was Bai Xiaochun's first time witnessing the event, and he couldn't help but stare in shock. Gradually, the vortex grew so large that it covered all of Arch-Emperor City.
As it did, it was possible to see something inside of the vortex, an enormous river….
Bai Xiaochun held his breath in shock as he realized that the river inside the vortex was emanating a powerful aura of death….
"The Underworld River!" he murmured. By this point, despite the fact that Bai Xiaochun was all the way up in the sky in the imperial palace, he could actually hear the droning sound of the common people down in Arch-Emperor City, offering expressions of worship and praise.
Because the vortex was so enormous, it was possible to see the Underworld River very clearly, even the flowing water which made it up.
The aura of death which flowed out of the vortex gradually filled the entire area, leaving Bai Xiaochun feeling quite shaken. It was a very shocking sight. It almost looked as though an enormous eye had opened up, allowing everyone to peer through it to view the Underworld River. At the same time, it was as if that eye were looking out at all creation in the outside world.
It was a very strange sensation, the likes of which Bai Xiaochun had never experienced before.
Even as Bai Xiaochun stared in shock, the old man finished the sacrificial invocation. As he uttered the concluding words, he waved his sleeve.
"Let the ceremony begin!"
His words rang out like the sounding of a bell, and as they did, shocking rumbling sounds could be heard from the vortex. It was almost as if an enormous, invisible hand had slapped the Underworld River, causing a huge wave to rise up. It was a frothy wave composed of countless souls… which then poured through the vortex!
It was in spectacular and magnificent fashion that a rain of souls began to pour down!
Endless numbers of souls began to fall onto Arch-Emperor City…. They covered everything, and most importantly of all, they all seemed to be sleeping! Even if a deva soul appeared, it would also be in a state of slumber, and could be grabbed by whatever hands were lucky enough to reach it!
A cheer rose up from Arch-Emperor City as the excited commoners sprang into action, hoping to benefit from the favor offered during the ancestral sacrifices.
The guards in the imperial palace reached out to grab falling souls, as did Mistress Red-Dust and the other powerful people like her.
The heavenly dukes, heavenly marquises, and even the government officials all did the same. Of course, to them, in this collecting of souls during the ancestral sacrifices, what was most important was not the number of souls harvested, but the type. Anyone who managed to get a deva soul would be benefiting from an incredibly good omen.
However, deva souls didn't always appear during the ancestral sacrifices, only every so often.
The scene playing out caused Bai Xiaochun to gasp. He looked around with a strange light gleaming in his eyes, and even anticipation; now was the time for him to carry out his plan. Afterward, it was likely that the nobility and aristocracy would hate him even more than they already did.
"Well, I can't worry about all that. They never liked me to begin with. Even if I didn't go through with this plan, they would eventually make another move against me." Gritting his teeth, he leaped into the air, trembling with both excitement and nervousness.
When Bai Xiaochun took to motion, the Grand Heavenmaster's eyes opened just a crack to look at him.
It only took a moment after Bai Xiaochun flew up into the air that he reached out and grabbed one of the descending souls!
It was a Foundation Establishment-level soul….
As soon as his hand closed around it, his eyes went wide, and he gasped. An expression of disbelief filled his face, but it quickly turned to joy. He even threw his head back and laughed uproariously.
"Heavens! I can't believe I actually got a soul like this!!"
His laughter was loud enough to begin with, but he actually amplified it with some cultivation base power, which attracted quite a bit of attention. Before anyone could see clearly what had happened, though, he flew back down toward the area of the main hall in the imperial palace.
It was with lightning-like speed that he landed back in the square, right in the same location of honor as Mistress Red-Dust and the other heirs of the heavenly kings. It was there that he spoke out in a voice that crashed like heavenly thunder.
"Many thanks to you, Your Majesty! Your humble servant Bai Hao managed to snatch a deva soul!" With that, he thrust the Foundation Establishment soul high up into the air for everyone to see clearly.
Because of how loudly and suddenly he had spoken, virtually all of the nobility and aristocracy in the square all looked over at him. As for Mistress Red-Dust, she was the closest, and when she heard his words and saw the soul he was holding, her expression flickered.
"What are you doing, Bai Hao!?" Mistress Red-Dust said in a berating tone. "Get back to your place!" Off to the side, Zhou Hong looked on with wide eyes. As for the Junior Champion King and the heir apparent from Spirit Advent City, they were all stunned by what they were seeing.
The soul Bai Xiaochun was holding was clearly a Foundation Establishment-level soul, and not a deva soul….
They weren't the only ones to react in such a way. Chen Haosong and the heavenly dukes were all completely taken aback. However, within moments, their gazes turned as sharp as blades, and the same thought ran through all their minds.
"Could it be that he wants to force the emperor to abdicate?!"
The heavenly marquises began to react as well, and were clearly flustered. No one had any idea what exactly was going to happen next.
"A deva soul?"
"That's not a deva soul…."
"Is Bai Hao an idiot or something?"
Discussion began to spread within the square. As for Zhao Xionglin, he clearly didn't see that something fishy was going on, and loudly said, "Did your eyes fall out, Bai Hao? That's a Foundation Establishment-level soul, not a deva soul! If you think that's a deva soul, then you've obviously gone crazy! Why don't you just say it's a demigod soul!?"
Mocking laughter could be heard among the crowd, but Bai Xiaochun ignored it. His gaze was fixed solely on the Dragon Throne, and the Arch-Emperor.
As for the imperial princes and princesses, various expressions could be seen on their faces. Among them was the second prince, who knew Bai Xiaochun a bit better than the others. He couldn't help but look over, alarm written on his face.
"What is he doing? Don't tell me he's going to try to get father to bow his head in submission?!"
The Arch-Emperor sat there on his throne, his eyes shining brightly as he stared at Bai Xiaochun.
Although Bai Xiaochun seemed excited, he was actually profoundly nervous, and the Arch-Emperor's shining eyes had his heart pounding. However, before he could say anything, one of the two stooped, sinister old men spoke in a voice that thrummed with killing intent.
"What gall you have! That's obviously a Foundation Establishment-level soul! How dare you try to deceive His Majesty!" Even as the old man spoke, he stepped forward in Bai Xiaochun's direction, and the aura of a deva exploded out.
He was attacking with full force, clearly intending to kill Bai Xiaochun in one move, drawing on full force and full speed to cut him down on the spot!
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Chapter 775: This Bai Hao Is A Good-For-Nothing Wretch...
The sinister old man attacked with lightning-like speed, to the extent that Mistress Red-Dust and the other heirs apparent didn't even have time to react. In fact, Mistress Red-Dust was actually inclined to do something, but simply wasn't fast enough to.
The old man's cultivation base erupted with deva fluctuations as he appeared right in front of Bai Xiaochun. There, he called upon the powers of a deva to become one with all creation and take the shape of an enormous magical symbol.
Of course, Bai Xiaochun was shocked, and immediately tried to back up. From what he could tell, this old man was more terrifying than Chen Haosong. A single strike from him… would be completely catastrophic!
"I say one thing he doesn't like, and he tries to kill me!?!?" Bai Xiaochun was scared to death. However, even as he tremblingly backed up from the sinister man, the Grand Heavenmaster smiled. It was a profound and meaningful smile, and at the same time, a flicker of praise could be seen in his eyes. Reaching out, he waved his right finger in Bai Xiaochun's direction.
Instantly, a shield of black light appeared around Bai Xiaochun, almost like a bubble that completely surrounded him.
All of this takes a bit of time to describe, but actually took place in the time it takes a spark to fly off of a piece of flint. Then, the enormous magical symbol that was the incarnation of the sinister old man slammed into the bubble.
A huge boom rang out, and the entire imperial palace quaked.
The bubble collapsed, and the old man appeared, face ashen as he coughed up a mouthful of blood. The backlash sent him tumbling backward to slam into the ground inside the main hall, where he coughed up some more blood. Then he turned to look at the Grand Heavenmaster.
"Grand Heavenmaster, you--" Before he could finish speaking, the Grand Heavenmaster looked at him, causing him to tremble. Whatever else he had planned to say stuck in his throat.
"Calm down and let Bai Hao finish speaking," the Grand Heavenmaster said coolly. As for the Arch-Emperor, he was now gripping the arms of the dragon throne so tightly that blue veins could be seen bulging out on the backs of his hands!
Bai Xiaochun swallowed hard. The black bubble from moments ago had ensured that he came out of the incident completely unharmed. However, the sensation of deadly crisis he had felt still lingered, causing his heart to tremble. And yet, he had already started down this path, and there was no turning back. A cold gleam in his eye, he calmed himself and spoke in a loud voice.
"Listen, you ignoramus. I'm not trying to deceive His Majesty. This is a deva soul! Are you blind or something? Furthermore, I didn't ask your opinion about the matter. Grand Heavenmaster: would you mind providing an assessment? What type of soul is this, sir?"
The mysterious smile on the Grand Heavenmaster's face was visible for everyone to see as he replied, "A deva soul!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the imperial princes and princesses gasped, and their faces flickered with various emotions. Some of them, such as the second prince and the grand prince, went completely pale.
"The Grand Heavenmaster is trying to get father to bow his head in submission!! He's going to force him to say that it's a deva soul!! The Grand Heavenmaster is reasserting his authority!!"
Even the most unintelligent of the officials and aristocracy could see what was going on. In response… the facial expressions of everyone present changed immediately, with few becoming excited or happy.
Mistress Red-Dust took a deep breath and looked over at Bai Xiaochun with a complicated expression. Zhou Hong's eyes were lit up with fear as he realized that the Grand Heavenmaster was going to force the Arch-Emperor's hand. The more Zhou Hong thought about how Bai Xiaochun was going about this task, the more terrified he became.
The Junior Champion King stood there quietly, and the heir apparent of the Spirit Advent King bowed his head. Chen Haosong and the other heavenly dukes stood in silent introspection, clearly hoping that they didn't get dragged into what was happening.
Bai Xiaochun could see the veins bulging out on the Arch-Emperor's hands, and could sense the killing intent in his eyes. Although it was a frightening sight, Bai Xiaochun reminded himself that he was on the side of the Grand Heavenmaster. Furthermore, he couldn't help but think back to how the imperial clan had been behind the attack on his spirit enhancement shop.
Gritting his teeth, he said, "The Grand Heavenmaster said that it's a deva soul. Your Majesty, what do you say, sir? What kind of soul is this…?"
In response, the Arch-Emperor sat there on his Dragon Throne, his eyes growing colder than ever. All of the heavenly marquises and heavenly dukes stood there with hearts pounding, averting their gazes downward.
The veins on the Arch-Emperor's hands bulged larger than ever, and his eyes were colder than the coldest winter wind. It looked like he desired wholeheartedly to skin Bai Xiaochun alive!
The person to speak next was the second sinister old man. Inside, he was grumbling bitterly, but as a servant to the imperial clan for many generations, he felt that he had to speak up. "What gall you have, Bai Hao! This is complete hogwash! That's obviously a Foundation Establishment-level soul. How could anyone think it's a deva soul?!"
At this point, Bai Xiaochun took in a casual, lazy breath. Then, he glared at the old man and raised the Foundation Establishment-level soul high into the air. Slowly turning to look at the assembled aristocracy and officials, he cleared his throat.
"Heavenly Marquises. Heavenly Dukes. Would you mind helping out a bit? Is this a Foundation Establishment-level soul, or a deva soul!?" Bai Xiaochun was really starting to get excited, as he had finally reached the end goal of his plan. Everything that he had done up to this point had been a feint. He had intentionally let everyone believe that he was going to try to force the Arch-Emperor to abdicate, or at least bow his head. But the truth… was that his goal was not to force the hand of the Arch-Emperor, but rather… all of the government officials and aristocrats!
All of this had stemmed from his assertion that he could give the Grand Heavenmaster a chance to see what Bai Xiaochun could not; what everyone was thinking.
Bai Xiaochun's unexpected words caught everyone off guard. All of a sudden, veins bulged out on the Arch-Emperor's face as he realized that things were far worse than he had initially taken them to be. As for the two sinister old men, their faces completely drained of blood.
The imperial princes and princesses trembled, and some of them were even sighing inwardly. All of the aristocrats and officials suddenly felt like they were suffocating. Earlier, they had hoped to stay out of what had appeared to be the Grand Heavenmaster and the Arch-Emperor butting heads. And at first, it had seemed that they were succeeding. But then, with no warning at all, this damnable Bai Hao turned everything around and targeted them!
Mistress Red-Dust's eyes went wide, as if this was her first time truly seeing Bai Xiaochun. The Junior Champion King and the heir apparent of the Spirit Advent King were both gasping in terror.
Bai Xiaochun's act from earlier, and the way he had controlled the flow of events, had been masterful, to say the least. Almost no one could have been prepared at all for the realization that Bai Xiaochun's true goal was actually the officials and aristocrats!
However, there were a few in the audience who had not been caught completely off guard. Chen Haosong and the other nine heavenly dukes had actually begun to speculate from the very beginning that Bai Xiaochun was putting on an act.
Some of the heavenly marquises had also begun to work things out earlier on. And yet, that understanding didn't help them resolve the issue they now faced, and all of them were cursing vehemently in their hearts.
As for everyone who had had issues with Bai Xiaochun in the past, the sudden turn of events caused their faces to fall, and their hatred of him to grow even more intense.
By this point, everyone could tell that the Grand Heavenmaster was helping this Bai Hao, and was using the soul in question to determine the attitudes of everyone present!
It was an issue that everyone present wished to avoid, but now they were stuck in a dead end. As such, the hatred they felt toward Bai Xiaochun penetrated all the way to their marrow. In the past, they had been able to take advantage of the general political instability to their own advantage. But now, they had to publicly reveal their loyalties. And that was not an easy choice to make. If they stated that Bai Xiaochun was holding a Foundation Establishment-level soul, the Grand Heavenmaster would most definitely not forgive and forget. But if they said it was a deva soul, then the Grand Heavenmaster would have his hooks in them well and good. And that meant that if the Arch-Emperor ever managed to gain power back, they and their clans would definitely be purged by death.
Of course, some could consider attempting to secretly maintain loyalty to the Arch-Emperor, while simultaneously proclaiming themselves for the Grand Heavenmaster. But that would not be easy, considering that they were speaking out publicly. Whether or not the Grand Heavenmaster believed their act or not wouldn't matter. Nor would it matter that the Arch-Emperor might understand their actions. Not only would it be a big embarrassment, but they would be giving their enemies an opportunity to use against them. The slightest slip-up later on in the future could lead to terrible results.
Most important of all in the situation was the fact that there was no way the Grand Heavenmaster would actually trust any proclamations of loyalty made here today. And yet, that wasn't what he wanted…. He wanted the power that would come with everyone siding with him, whether they were sincere or not.
With that power, he could easily crush all of the influence the Arch-Emperor had secretly built up. Not only would everyone realize that they had once again been dominated by the Grand Heavenmaster, but anyone who had once felt loyalty to the Arch-Emperor would now be struck with terror.
This was a show of strength, and at the same time, a threat!
"This Bai Hao is a good-for-nothing wretch!! How shameless!!"
"So ruthless. Dammit!!"
"He's forcing us to publicly reveal our stance!" Hatred swelled in the hearts of all present, and at the same time, fear of Bai Xiaochun.
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Chapter 776: Youre Screwed...
In the current Arch-Emperor Dynasty, the Arch-Emperor was actually only a figurehead. The Grand Heavenmaster held the true power, and controlled both the Son of Heaven and the aristocracy. However, that was mostly what happened behind the scenes.
Furthermore, in the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter too much that the Arch-Emperor was weak; he was only the current reigning Arch-Emperor. Nobody could say for sure what would happen when the next Arch-Emperor rose up. Furthermore, the Grand Heavenmaster had not followed the example of the Celestial from Heavenspan Island, and turned himself into an emperor. As far as many people were concerned, the Grand Heavenmaster was actually being quite benevolent and merciful.
Even more people hoped to just keep their distance from the issue. Not daring to get involved, they kept their true feelings vague, allowing the Grand Heavenmaster and the Arch-Emperor to handle things on their own, as long as the Arch-Emperor Dynasty itself continued.
Therefore, the events playing out right now were like a bolt out of the blue, and had placed the problems surrounding the issue of the Grand Heavenmaster and the Arch-Emperor right smack dab in the open!
Everyone in the square was cursing Bai Xiaochun inwardly for being so vile as to drag them into a situation they had been working so hard to avoid. In fact, most of them greatly regretted having come to attend the event to begin with.
Of course, the Arch-Emperor was also caught completely unprepared by what was happening, and was aware that the events of this day would determine once and for all how powerful he was!
Bai Xiaochun blinked a few times, his heart trembling with nervousness. However, he knew that his hand had been forced. The second prince and the grand prince had already made a move against him, and were it not for the Grand Heavenmaster, he would surely have been dead and buried here in the Wildlands.
"You can't blame me for this, Arch-Emperor. If you want to blame somebody, blame those two sons of yours…." By this point, his mind was made up; his fate was now completely tied to the Grand Heavenmaster.
At the moment, the entire square was silent. The heavenly marquises and dukes were all standing there looking down at their feet. For the first time ever on the day of ancestral sacrifices, the entire imperial palace was completely silent.
It made quite the sharp contrast with the raucous, celebratory noise coming from the common people down below in the city.
The Arch-Emperor wasn't saying anything, nor was the Grand Heavenmaster. Everyone in the hall stood there without making a peep. The princes and princesses had bitter looks on their faces as they looked down at the ground, hearts filled with hatred for Bai Xiaochun at the disaster he had caused, and dread of the Grand Heavenmaster.
However, the silence didn't last for very long. Eventually, one of the heavenly marquises gritted his teeth and stepped forward. Clasping hands, he bowed to the Arch-Emperor and Grand Heavenmaster, then spoke out in a loud voice.
"It's very clear to me that Inspections Commissioner Bai Hao is holding a deva soul!"
Now that the first person had stepped forward to make a statement, a second followed. Then a third. One by one, more than a hundred heavenly marquises did the same.
"That's definitely a deva soul!"
"Correct! If you look closely, it's obviously a deva soul!"
Each and every person said the same thing; that it was a deva soul!
Some of the people who stepped forward really were loyal to the Grand Heavenmaster, but not all of them. And yet, none of them hesitated for even a moment to make their stance clear!
And of course, many of them were cursing Bai Xiaochun to death. However, their faces were covered with somber expressions as they made their statements regarding the deva soul. Even the nine heavenly marquises who had attacked Bai Xiaochun did the same, including Zhao Xionglin. Although he was swearing in his heart, it was with a booming voice that he said, "Anyone can see that it's definitely a deva soul!"
As the heavenly marquises made their statements, the faces of the imperial princes and princesses grew paler and paler. Bitter smiles spread out on the faces of the two sinister old men. As for the Arch-Emperor, he sat there calmly, watching the heavenly marquises and dukes. The coldness in his eyes from earlier was gone, and his face was expressionless. However, deep in his eyes, it was clear that he was branding this image of Bai Xiaochun into his mind for all time.
That struck coldness into Bai Xiaochun's heart, but he reminded himself that he was one of the Grand Heavenmaster's men, and that the Arch-Emperor couldn't hurt him even if he were more powerful than he already was.
"Stupid Arch-Emperor! I've smacked the Giant Ghost King across the side of the head, fool! Hmm, I wonder what it would feel like to smack an Arch-Emperor?" Swallowing hard to work up some courage, he waited for the heavenly marquises to all step forward.
Before long, all of them were finished, every single one of them having uttered the words deva soul. Next came the ten heavenly dukes, and not a single one hesitated about what to do.
"A deva soul!"
"A deva soul!"
Chen Haosong was no exception. By this point, the imperial princes and princesses were trembling, although whether from anger or fear it was impossible to tell! In terms of Mistress Red-Dust and the other representatives of the four heavenly kings, they too acknowledged that Bai Xiaochun had a deva soul. At that point, the square once again fell into silence.
It was a silence that indicated that the Grand Heavenmaster's overall power had once again skyrocketed, surpassing his previous level of power by far. After all, this was the first time that he and the Arch-Emperor had ever clashed publicly!
One statement from the Grand Heavenmaster had caused everyone to bow their heads in submission. That was a type of power that defied description. Just as Bai Xiaochun had said, the Grand Heavenmaster didn't need to know what everyone was thinking. He just needed everyone to fear him. That was enough.
Within the hall, the grand prince, the second prince, and everyone else present looked as ashen as death. Yet again, they were drowning in humiliation, and fear… of the Grand Heavenmaster. At this point, they knew that it didn't matter what secret schemes they had been working on. In front of the Grand Heavenmaster, they were so weak they could be defeated with a single blow. It was truly terrifying.
More than anything though… they felt grief that the imperial clan had fallen to this level….
At this point, the Arch-Emperor looked deeply at Bai Xiaochun, then rose to his feet. Without casting a glance at anyone else, not even the Grand Heavenmaster, he walked out of the hall. The two sinister old men took deep breaths, glared at Bai Xiaochun, and then followed.
The imperial princes and princesses scrambled after him, not speaking a word. However, all of them looked over at Bai Xiaochun before departing.
The assembled officials and aristocracy were completely silent as they all looked over at the Grand Heavenmaster on his black throne, who looked back at them with a dark gleam in his eyes.
The truth was that he had been paying very close attention to everyone outside of the hall, including the heavenly marquises and the heavenly dukes. He had been studying the slight changes in their facial expressions, and even the fluctuations of their souls.
Although he didn't say anything, that dark gleam in his eyes was very telling. At this point, he rose to his feet, prompting everyone in the square to clasp hands and bow.
"Farewell, Grand Heavenmaster, Arch-Emperor!"
"You're all dismissed," the Grand Heavenmaster said. Then he looked approvingly at Bai Xiaochun and said, "Bai Hao, you come with me."
With that, he turned and headed into the back of the grand hall.
Noting the approval in the Grand Heavenmaster's eyes, Bai Xiaochun loudly said, "You're dismissed! All of you!"
At the same time, he sighed inwardly, and also started to get excited at the prospect of having done something so momentous!
From beginning to end, he had controlled the initiative, and that was a very thrilling thing. Although he still felt a bit of lingering fear, the fact that he had the approval of the Grand Heavenmaster had him trembling with excitement.
"I really performed some meritorious service this time! I wonder how the Grand Heavenmaster is going to reward me?!" Even as he hurried forward to follow the Grand Heavenmaster, he realized that everyone was looking at him. Turning, he saw that many of the heavenly marquises and dukes were looking at him with the contempt of someone looking at a petty person who had unexpectedly achieved a position of power.
And that wasn't very pleasing to Bai Xiaochun at all.
That was especially true of Zhao Xionglin, who was glaring at Bai Xiaochun so fiercely that it seemed he wanted nothing more than to rip him limb from limb!
"How dare you glare at me!" Bai Xiaochun thought.
Then he flicked his sleeve, stuck his chin up, and loudly said, "Now that you've all confirmed that I got a deva soul, I guess that means I got really lucky today!"
With that, he suddenly threw the Foundation Establishment-level soul toward Zhao Xionglin.
"Heavenly Marquis Zhao, I have business with the Grand Heavenmaster, so I'm leaving this deva soul with you for safe keeping. Tomorrow morning at first light, I'll go to your clan to retrieve it. Don't lose it! After all, that's a deva soul!"
Zhao Xionglin didn't even have a chance to react before Bai Xiaochun was gone.
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Chapter 777: The Formula For Eighteen-Colored Flame!
"You!!" Zhao Xionglin was both taken aback and infuriated. However, the Grand Heavenmaster was still present, so he didn't dare to lose his temper. He could only stand there panting, face twisted with rage, cursing inwardly at this blatantly open attack.
"Damn this Bai Hao!" he thought. "He gave me a Foundation Establishment-level soul and is going to demand that I give him a deva soul in return!!" Zhao Xionglin was overwhelmed with anger, grief, and pain. To him, a deva soul was the type of treasure that could be encountered by chance, but never searched for and found.
After all, deva souls were very useful for anyone attempting to become a deva, and could increase the chances of success significantly. Therefore, what Bai Xiaochun had just done was like adding injury to insult.
Zhao Xionglin stood there trembling at how horrible things had just become….
The other aristocrats in the area were stunned as they watched Bai Xiaochun walking off. They could almost feel cold chills running down their backs as they realized that Bai Xiaochun was the type of person who would take any opportunity that came his way.
"Totally ruthless…."
"He's clearly screwing Zhao Xionglin over…."
"When he goes to get that soul tomorrow… Zhao Xionglin will have to give him a deva soul…."
Although the Grand Heavenmaster was already some distance away, with his back to the square, he was aware of everything that was happening. When he realized what Bai Xiaochun was doing, his cheek twitched.
"Ah, whatever," he thought. "Chalk it up as a reward for him." Bai Xiaochun's performance had been spectacular, and left the Grand Heavenmaster feeling very pleased. Therefore, he simply shook his head and continued to leave.
When Bai Xiaochun saw that the Grand Heavenmaster wasn't interfering, his eyes lit up with excitement, and he strutted the entire way to Heavenmaster Hall. When they arrived, the Grand Heavenmaster didn't say much. He just asked Bai Xiaochun to produce his Inspections Manor command medallion, whereupon he waved his finger, sending a black glow into it.
"Henceforth, you command 3,000 troops! Head back and rest up a bit. Before long… your 3,000 corpse troopers can be mobilized, and then you can go get your reward yourself." With that, he entered Heavenmaster Hall, not having even turned to look at Bai Xiaochun. Furthermore, he had never said a word about the objects Bai Xiaochun had secreted away from Heavenly Marquises Li and Chen. That alone spoke to the profits Bai Xiaochun would have after shaking down more clans.
Excited at the prospects, Bai Xiaochun clasped hands and loudly said, "Grand Heavenmaster, for you, Bai Hao will go through hell and high water!"
After the Grand Heavenmaster disappeared into the hall, Bai Xiaochun turned, feeling profoundly pleased as he left the imperial palace, taking his 1,000 corpse troopers with him. Looking very grand and magnificent, he quickly made his way back to the Inspections Manor.
As for the heavenly dukes and marquises, and all the other nobility and aristocracy, although they hated him so much their gums itched, when he passed by, they didn't dare to even look at him the wrong way.
Back at the Inspections Manor, the first thing he did was use the command medallion to make connections with more of the subterranean coffins.
Rumbling sounds filled the entire Inspections Manor as 2,000 coffins shot up into the air!
"Awaken, my army of corpse troopers!" he shouted excitedly. Cracking sounds instantly rang out as the 2,000 coffins opened up, and numerous black-armored, burly men appeared.
All of them emanated auras of rot, and the weakest among them were in the mid Nascent Soul stage. Furthermore, this time, there were four who were half-devas!
As the eyes of the corpse troopers opened, heaven-shaking, earth-shattering murderous auras erupted out!
A black vortex appeared in the air above the Inspections Manor, which instantly attracted much attention from the people nearby.
"There are more corpse troopers over in the Inspections Manor?!?!"
"Is that… 2,000 of them? In addition to the original 1,000, Bai Hao now controls an army of 3,000!!"
"3,000 corpse troopers! That level of power… is terrifying. He alone could start a large-scale war!!"
Many among the nobility and aristocracy of Arch-Emperor City realized what was happening, and they were shaken. Grim expressions appeared on their faces as they realized that Bai Xiaochun was building up terrifying levels of power.
Bai Xiaochun was so excited he was trembling, and his eyes shone with bright light. Looking at his 2,000 new corpse troopers, he waved his hand, causing the original 1,000 to fly out. They quickly formed ranks, whereupon the black vortex above the Inspections Manor grew even larger.
In addition to that, further inspection of the command medallion revealed that, in addition to the 2,000 new corpse troopers, he now had access to a new divine ability.
After studying it briefly, he sent some divine sense into the medallion, which caused a black glow to appear. The black glow shot toward the corpse trooper who had absorbed some of the toxic gas created by the Heart Of A Woman, and then risen to level of a deva. As soon as the black light touched the corpse trooper, he trembled, and his energy rose. Even as Bai Xiaochun waited in eager anticipation, he threw his head back and roared.
As he did, his aura returned to the quasi-Deva Realm. However, Bai Xiaochun could tell that, if necessary, he could absorb the auras of other corpse troopers to temporarily go back to that peak level of power!
This was one of the powers of the inspections commissioner command medallion which he had been gifted!
"Nobody will dare to provoke me now!" he exclaimed, laughing heartily. Although it wouldn't be correct to say that he was invincible, it would be as easy for him to take out a deva as it would be to flip over his hand!
He currently had a quasi-Deva Realm corpse trooper, five who were half-devas, and nearly 3,000 in the Nascent Soul realm. That was enough power… that if Bai Xiaochun returned to the eastern Heavenspan region, he could challenge the Starry Sky Dao Polarity Sect!
"It was definitely the best choice to side with the Grand Heavenmaster!" Bai Xiaochun couldn't have been more smugly happy. All of his worries about being glared at by the Arch-Emperor had vanished.
"I'm definitely a big shot in the Wildlands now! Not very many people are as important as me!" Feeling almost intoxicated, he was just preparing to take his 3,000 corpse troopers out for a stroll in the city to make sure everyone knew how awesome he was, when all of a sudden, Bai Hao's voice could be heard from inside his bag of holding, and he sounded overjoyed.
"Master! I finally finished the formula for eighteen-colored flame!"
Bai Xiaochun's eyes went wide with excitement, and he even laughed aloud. Today was truly a wonderful day, so wonderful that he decided not to go for a walk. Instead, he set his 3,000 corpse troopers out to stand guard in the area, then went into secluded meditation and sealed himself up tight. At that point, Bai Hao flew out into the open.
Bai Hao quickly inscribed the formula into a bone slip, then handed it over to Bai Xiaochun, who began to study it with intense anticipation.
A moment passed, and he retracted his divine sense from the bone slip. After some thought, he looked over at Bai Hao, thinking about how priceless this formula would be anywhere in the Wildlands.
It would be considered even more valuable than a deva soul!
Countless people wanted to have that formula. However, it was something that only belonged to clans with earthly necromancers. And clans like that would not lightly hand over the formula!
"Well done, apprentice," Bai Xiaochun said sincerely. "If Master can become an earthly necromancer, it will count as an enormous service on your part. What would you like as a reward? Name anything!"
Bai Hao's heart swelled at having pleased his Master. To him, Bai Xiaochun was a Master, but more importantly, his only family. Just being able to help him, and see him happy, was enough.
"Master, I don't want any reward right now. Let's worry about that later. The most important thing now is to follow this line of reasoning on to the formula for nineteen-colored flame!" From the determination in Bai Hao's eyes, it was obvious that he was confident in being able to succeed. Furthermore, he was shaking with excitement at the thought of his Master dominating the Wildlands with that formula.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to help Master become... a heavenly necromancer!" Having sworn this oath in his heart, he clasped hands formally to Bai Xiaochun, then returned to his soulhoarding pagoda to start working.
Bai Xiaochun was moved as he looked at the soulhoarding pagoda and sighed. He knew that ghost cultivator techniques were something of great importance to his apprentice, and yet, he had no idea where to get such techniques.
"Where would I be able to get some ghost cultivator techniques…? There are all types of techniques available in the Heavenspan River region. I bet I could find some there." Having decided this was the best angle to pursue, he sat down cross-legged and began to get familiar with the formula for eighteen-colored flame.
The night passed quickly.
This formula was actually very complicated, but because of his experience within the Flame Harmony realm, in which the faint eighteen-colored flame had become visible, he had a foundation upon which to work.
Therefore, he actually gained a lot from that single night of study. The mere thought of actually trying to conjure that flame and become an earthly necromancer caused his heart to start racing.
"However, if I really want to conjure it, I'll need to do a lot of practicing…." At this point, he looked outside and realized that it was light outside, and remembered that Zhao Xionglin owed him a deva soul. Putting the bone slip away, he stood up, stretched a bit, then stuck his chin up.
"Alright, Zhao Xionglin, Lord Bai is coming for you!"
Even as Bai Xiaochun reveled in his success, he had no idea that back in Giant Ghost City, the Giant Ghost King had made a decision.
After receiving the report from Mistress Red-Dust about what had occurred during the ancestral sacrifices, his eyes had begun to shine brightly.
"What a genius. I definitely didn't misjudge this Bai Hao. It's impossible to say how far he'll go. He's definitely the perfect son-in-law. I don't care what his background is!
"Unfortunately, Mo'er's temper is a problem…. If things keep going the way they have between the two of them, it will be hard for them to get along." After some thought, his eyes gleamed with a strange light, and he cleared his throat. Then he sent a message to Mistress Red-Dust.
First, he asked some general questions about her cultivation base, and then he said, "Mo'er, I have a certain technique you can cultivate that will give you a seventy percent chance of breaking through into the mid Deva Realm. However, you'll need to go into secluded meditation and cultivate it secretly!"
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Chapter 778: Seizing Every Opportunity
Mistress Red-Dust was surprised. It seemed obvious to her that there was more to the story, but after receiving the technique and looking it over, she couldn't figure out what it was. Besides, the giant ghost king was her father, and couldn't possibly be out to harm her. And yet, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something fishy going on.
She did a bit more research, but in the end, she was simply too anxious to achieve a cultivation base breakthrough to hold back. Her previous fight with Bai Xiaochun had left her feeling very unsatisfied with her current cultivation base. Therefore, she went into secluded meditation and began to cultivate the technique secretly, just like her father had suggested.
"Good girl!" the giant ghost king thought. "Father isn't trying to hurt you. The technique won't do anything bad. However, after you emerge from meditation, you'll be a bit muddle-headed, and much easier to influence. In some ways, you can almost be brainwashed…. Well, there's nothing else that can be done. You're just too smart, and if we let the situation stand, things will never develop between you and Bai Hao." The giant ghost king felt a bit guilty, but in the end, reminded himself that he was doing all of this for the betterment of his daughter. And that made him a very good father.
Now that the first step of the plan was underway, the giant ghost king's guilt began to turn into excitement. As soon as his daughter entered her secluded meditation chamber, he called all of her personal guards over and instructed them to let him know as soon as she emerged.
He spoke so strictly that the guards were very nervous, and instantly agreed to follow his instructions.
Having accomplished these things, the giant ghost king sighed.
"Success or failure now depends on fate. If they're not destined to be together, then nothing will work."
The Zhao Clan was located in Borough 19. Considering that Zhao Xionglin was a heavenly marquis, their clan was very similar to the Li and Chen Clans. The buildings were exquisite and beautiful, and the entire place was so grand that it was very conspicuous within Borough 19.
There were two enormous statues located in the main square of the clan, one on either side. They were dozens of meters tall, pure white, and depicted beastly creatures. Although the statues weren't made from spirit stones, they had been created using a unique method of equipment forging and special materials, which made them extraordinary, to say the least.
Right in between the two statues was the Zhao Clan's heavenly marquis pagoda, which emanated powerful fluctuations that ensured that anyone nearby felt a threatening sensation.
At the moment, the various princes and princesses of the clan were currently practicing fighting techniques on one of the clan's training grounds, sparring with magical techniques and divine abilities. The eldest son of the clan, Zhao Dongshan, sat cross-legged in the position of honor. Although he seemed to be paying attention to the sparring going on on the training grounds, he was actually preoccupied with other thoughts, to the point where his brow was slightly furrowed.
Occasionally, he would look up into the sky and sigh. The mere thought of how his father Zhao Xionglin had returned the previous day looking extremely angry caused Zhao Dongshan to sigh anxiously. He knew some of what had occurred the previous day in the imperial palace, and it caused his hatred toward Bai Xiaochun to grow even stronger than before.
"So ruthless…."
"He gave our Zhao Clan a Foundation Establishment-level soul and is expecting a deva soul in return! What a vile attack!" Zhao Dongshan sat there grinding his teeth angrily, and yet feeling completely helpless. Yesterday evening, his father had given him a deva soul and instructed him on what to do with it, then had grimly gone into secluded meditation.
"Father, you think this is a loss of face, but so do I…." Zhao Dongshan sighed painfully. After all, the Zhao Clan only had one deva soul to their name, which had been given to them by Heavenly Duke Chen Haosong because of the good relationship between him and Zhao Xionglin.
But now, they had to give it up…. Zhao Dongshan's mood continued to sink the more he thought about it, and yet, there was nothing he could do. About this time, he suddenly heard a whistling sound up above in the air.
As soon as he heard it, his eyelid twitched. Looking up, he saw several thousand beams of light flying toward him, accompanied by a dramatically murderous aura.
"This shameless Bai Hao just has to go and make a huge scene, all to collect a single soul!" Zhao Dongshan was cursing inwardly, and his expression was extremely grim as he watched the thousands of figures coming to a stop right above the Zhao Clan.
In the lead position was none other than Bai Xiaochun, who flicked his sleeve proudly and spoke in a voice that echoed through the entire clan.
"Heavenly Marquis Zhao! Oh, Big Bro Zhao! Thank you so much for taking care of that deva soul for me. Uh… well, I'm back today to get it, so could you please hand it over?" Bai Xiaochun was feeling very pleased with the whole situation. Furthermore, after noticing that the person present to receive him was Zhao Dongshan, he didn't feel it appropriate to address him directly, not considering how lofty Bai Xiaochun's position was. A junior like Zhao Dongshan wasn't worthy to be greeted.
Zhao Xionglin was inside the heavenly marquis pagoda, meditating fitfully. As soon as he heard what was happening outside, his face twitched, but he forced himself to ignore it.
Down below, Zhao Dongshang gritted his teeth and said, "Take this soul and leave, Bai Hao!"
With that, he flicked his sleeve, sending a piece of crystal flying out. There was something bizarre about the crystal and the way it shone with flickering light. There was also an incredible pressure that it sent out, making it seem completely extraordinary. Inside of the crystal was a ball of flame, which was none other than a fire-type deva soul!
The crystal became a beam of light which shot toward Bai Xiaochun, who grabbed it out of the air. Smiling broadly, he looked down at Zhao Dongshan.
"Hey there, young lad, you must be Dongshan, correct? Hahaha! How courteous of you people! You actually encased my deva soul in some crystal. Not bad. Not bad at all. Very well, young lad. Uncle Bai is in a good mood today, so hurry over and offer formal greetings, and I'll give you a reward." Zhao Dongshan had offended him multiple times in the past, so there was no way he would let him off the hook today.
Zhao Dongshan was so angry he could hardly breathe straight, and the fact that Bai Xiaochun had called him young lad was even more infuriating. However, the mere thought of Bai Xiaochun's incredible battle prowess, and the fact that he was the inspections commissioner, with a force of 3,000 corpse troopers behind him, ensured that he managed to keep his anger in check.
"You have your soul, Bai Hao. Just leave, alright? You're not welcome here!"
As soon as Bai Xiaochun heard that, his broad smile vanished, and his eyes widened into an angry glare. Pointing at Zhao Dongshan, he said,
"What do you mean by that, young lad? I'm not welcome here? I represent the grand heavenmaster! By saying that I'm not welcome, you're also saying that the grand heavenmaster isn't welcome!"
"You…." Zhao Dongshan was so frustrated he wanted to explode, and was even about to explain himself. However, Bai Xiaochun didn't give him the chance.
"By not welcoming the grand heavenmaster, you're showing contempt for the entire court, and the arch-emperor himself! Don't tell me that your Zhao Clan has something to hide!?!?" Even as Bai Xiaochun yelled, his 3,000 corpse troopers emanated such a powerful murderous aura that it created a black vortex in the sky above the Zhao Clan.
"No!" Zhao Dongshan blurted. After becoming the inspections commissioner, Bai Xiaochun had come to fall in love with labeling people with false accusations. All they had to do was open their mouth, and he would strike instantly. After all, Zhao Dongshan's own father had suffered the same treatment.
Even Heavenly Duke Chen Haosong had fallen victim, and had eventually chosen to just keep his mouth shut.
"Eee? Feeling guilty or something?!" From the gleam in Bai Xiaochun's eyes, it seemed that he believed himself to have found some important evidence. Up in the pagoda, Zhao Xionglin's hands were trembling with rage. However, this time, Zhao Dongshan reacted a bit more quickly than before. He quickly stepped forward, took a breath to suppress his anger, and bowed deeply to Bai Xiaochun with clasped hands.
"Senior…. Dongshan… offers greetings…. Greetings, exalted Inspections Commissioner!" Zhao Dongshan felt like he was going crazy, to the point where he might cough up blood. However, this Bai Hao was not the same Bai Hao from before. Not even Zhao Dongshan's father dared to anger him, and therefore, Zhao Dongshan had no other choice than to submit.
Bai Xiaochun looked discontentedly at Zhao Dongshan, wondering how he had managed to recover his composure so quickly. It was a real pity, considering that he had hoped to take advantage of the situation to extort the Zhao Clan a bit more.
"It's no fun if they give in so easily," he thought. Unfortunately, he had no excuse to keep going. Muttering to himself angrily, he looked around the clan until he noticed the two pure white beast statues.
"Those beast statues look a bit suspicious," he announced. "Men, take them away. Deliver them to my manor so that I can study them more closely." Instantly, hundreds of black-armored corpse troopers flew toward the statues, completely ignoring the Zhao Clan cultivators. Blue veins bulged out on Zhao Dongshan's face and neck. However, considering that his father hadn't issued any orders, he knew he had to simply hold his tongue. The hundreds of corpse troopers quickly took those two statues which the Zhao Clan viewed as priceless treasures, and ripped them up out of the ground….
Bai Xiaochun blinked a few more times as he looked around. Finally, his gaze came to rest on the heavenly marquis pagoda. Obviously, Zhao Xionglin was not planning to make an appearance. Feeling a bit irritated, Bai Xiaochun snorted and then turned to leave with his corpse troopers and the two statues.
"How dare they provoke me! Zhao Dongshan attacked me multiple times! These statues are just going to be interest on what he owes me." Sticking his chin up, he began to strut away.
After he left, an enraged roar echoed out from the heavenly marquis pagoda. Zhao Xionglin was enraged, but his anger was not sated, and could only be vented by continuing to howl in anger.
Zhao Dongshan sat there bitterly, terrified of Bai Xiaochun. If he had known that things would turn out this way, then he would never have dared to offend him.
And thus, Bai Xiaochun returned to the Inspections Manor, deva soul in hand, with two new statues carried by his corpse troopers. After arranging for his corpse troopers to stand guard, he went into his secluded meditation facilities and pondered what the grand heavenmaster had said to him yesterday.
"I'll just wait for some new orders. I wonder how many clans the grand heavenmaster will have me shake down this time…." Heart pounding with anticipation, he was just about to go back to studying eighteen-colored flame when his expression flickered. A moment later, Zhou Yixing appeared right outside of his secluded meditation facilities.
"Zhou Yixing seeks an audience, exalted one!"
Because Zhou Yixing had been acknowledged by Bai Xiaochun as a member of the Inspections Manor, the corpse troopers often gave him sharp looks, but wouldn't cause any problems for him as long as he didn't harbor ill intent.
Of course, Bai Xiaochun was very pleased with Zhou Yixing's service so far. Therefore, he waved his hand, causing the door to the facility to open. Zhou Yixing took a deep breath, and walked in, a very serious expression on his face. Stopping in front of Bai Xiaochun, he clasped hands and bowed deeply.
Trying to imitate the style of the grand heavenmaster, Bai Xiaochun coolly said, "Yixing! Make sure to get good and ready. The Inspections Manor is going to be very busy soon!"
Zhou Yixing immediately voiced his assent. Then, he hesitated, looked left and right, and quietly said, "Exalted one, um… what should we do with Song Que?"
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Chapter 779: Poor Child
"Song Que?" Bai Xiaochun was initially stunned, and it actually took a moment of thought before he realized that he had forgotten about Song Que….
"Yeah, him," Zhou Yixing said in a low voice. "He was the… um, guy who claimed to be the nephew of Bai Xiaochun, who you picked up in the Chen Clan. Song Que." Zhou Yixing looked at Bai Xiaochun for a moment and then cast his gaze back downward.
"Oh, him. Ai. Silly me. If you hadn't said something, I would have totally forgotten." Bai Xiaochun actually felt a bit bad. Not only was Song Que one of his big lucky stars, as a member of the older generation, Bai Xiaochun had a responsibility to take care of the younger ones.
"Exalted one," Zhou Yixing replied hurriedly, "you have a myriad of state affairs to attend to, and an entire nation to look after! Every decision you make is the type that can shake all of heaven and earth. You are constantly at the beck and call of all Arch-Emperor City, and spare no efforts in your duty. Your humble servant shouldn't have bothered you with such a trivial matter as this. My apologies exalted one. Please, watch your health. I won't bother you with things like this anymore."
Bai Xiaochun was very pleased by the sincerity in his words, and how much they reminded him of the way he himself talked. Nodding approvingly at Zhou Yixing, he said, "Never mind all that, bring him to me."
"Sir, yes sir!" Zhou Yixing replied loudly, then turned and hurried away. Moments later, he returned with Song Que, who he plopped down in front of Bai Xiaochun.
Zhou Yixing knew that there was some relationship between Song Que and Bai Xiaochun, and therefore, Song Que was currently not wearing the same raggedy clothes he had been back in the Chen Clan. He was dressed in a rough spun cloth garment, and had been cleaned up quite a bit. However, his eyes were just as intensely stubborn and maddened as ever.
After being thrown onto the ground, he crawled to his feet, where he stood ramrod straight as he glared at Bai Xiaochun and yelled, "If you're that tough, just kill me!! My uncle will never let you off the hook!!"
Although Bai Xiaochun was a bit startled by how he had yelled, his words nearly caused him to laugh. However, he covered it with a dry cough. Keeping his face straight, he circled Song Que a bit to measure him up.
His gaze caused Song Que's heart to tremble. As far as Song Que could tell, it was a gaze of terrifying profundity. However, what was worse was how Bai Xiaochun poked and prodded him a bit here and there, leading Song Que to shiver and think about what vile intentions he had. Stiffening, he once again resorted to a shout when he said, "Even if I die, I'll never yield!"
"Alright, enough with the yelling. Allow me to ask you something. Who is this Bai Xiaochun to you?!" Inside, Bai Xiaochun was smiling broadly, but he kept his expression somber, and even made it seem like he was afraid of this Bai Xiaochun.
The truth, of course, was that he was eagerly awaiting Song Que's response.
Song Que was a bit surprised to see the expression on Bai Xiaochun's face. Obviously, not dying was the optimal outcome if it was possible, and therefore, the gears were already turning in Song Que's head.
"Bai Xiaochun is my uncle!"
Blinking, Bai Xiaochun kept his smile hidden away, and instead plastered an even more serious expression on his face. "What did you just say? I didn't hear clearly…."
Eyes glittering, Song Que raised his voice and said, "Bai Xiaochun… is my uncle!!!"
Bai Xiaochun's heart was racing with excitement, and he coughed dryly again to keep himself from laughing. He also tried to look a bit more scared.
"Are you talking about the guy in 1st place on the Hell-Emperor Stele, the one with the shocking cultivation base, the one who countless women are enamored with, and who innumerable men admire? The man who everyone in the Wildlands is searching for? That Bai Xiaochun?"
Song Que was stunned to hear all of this, and Zhou Yixing placed his face into the palm of his hand at how obvious it all seemed… and the shamelessness of it all….
Of course, there was no possible way for Song Que to realize that the person he was standing in front of was actually Bai Xiaochun. However, he was a bit worried by the expression of fear he saw on Bai Xiaochun's face.
"Yeah, that Bai Xiaochun…."
Bai Xiaochun wasn't fully satisfied yet, so he plastered a look of disbelief onto his face and said, "Hold on, I want you to be very clear about this. Which Bai Xiaochun? Are we really talking about the same person?"
So far, he was feeling very pleased with the act he was putting on.
Song Que was starting to get a strange feeling, but he proceeded with another explanation. "I'm talking about the guy in 1st place on the Hell-Emperor Stele, the one with the shocking cultivation base, the one who countless women are enamored with, and who innumerable men admire! The man who everyone in the Wildlands is searching for. That Bai Xiaochun!!"
By this point, he was starting to feel like maybe they actually weren't talking about the same person.
However, this was when Bai Xiaochun gasped and backed up a few steps. Eyes wide, he pointed at Song Que with disbelief. "Heavens! I can't believe that you're actually the nephew of that Bai Xiaochun!!"
Zhou Yixing stood there in a near daze, staring at Bai Xiaochun. However, he quickly looked down again, unable to keep watching….
Song Que was now starting to get a bit excited.
"That's right! I am Bai Xiaochun's nephew, and his only nephew at that. He really likes me, and has a lot of hopes for me for the future. He's my aunt's Daoist partner, so he'll definitely be coming to save me. If you touch a hair on my head, my uncle will definitely get revenge for me!" He couldn't have stated it any clearer. Anyone who was listening would be very certain that Bai Xiaochun cared a lot about him. Furthermore, anyone who was interested in catching Bai Xiaochun would obviously not want to kill Song Que.
That in turn would make things a bit safer for him.
Although Bai Xiaochun had no idea what anyone else might think of what Song Que said, as for himself, it made him incredibly happy.
"How could I ever have guessed that, contrary to all expectations, you were actually telling the truth! Your uncle is none other than the heaven-shaking, earth-shattering Bai Xiaochun, whose cultivation base is matchless in all creation…. Well, in that case… alright. Yixing, let's keep this guy here in the Inspections Manor. Start him out as a servant. And give him some resources to practice cultivation.
"Hmph. With him around, the notorious Bai Xiaochun, who is the ultimate chosen in the world, a person that countless individuals are infatuated with, will definitely walk right into the trap I'm planning for him!" He emphasized his righteous, sincere words with the flick of a sleeve.
When Song Que heard this, he breathed a sigh of relief. Although he still had a strange feeling about the whole situation, he still couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was. Before anything else could happen, Zhou Yixing grabbed him and hauled him away.
With that, Bai Xiaochun closed his door, sealed the place up, and then let loose a stream of uproarious laughter.
"Oh, Que'er! I can only imagine the look on your face if you ever find out who I really am…." The mere thought was exciting, but Bai Xiaochun also decided that he definitely couldn't ever let that happen.
After all, he was a circumspect person in general, and also had to be on guard against Song Que. Considering that he was deep undercover, he obviously couldn't reveal the truth to anyone. Besides, it was wonderful to hear Song Que lavishing Bai Xiaochun with praise. From now on, if he was ever in a bad mood, he could simply call Song Que over, scare him a bit, and then bask in the resulting praise.
Now that Song Que had been taken care of, though, Bai Xiaochun thought about Master God-Diviner.
"I wonder where he is now…. Probably somewhere else in the Wildlands, I suppose." It was another mission on his list. After all, Master God-Diviner had been one of his followers, and was likely in a horrible situation. Therefore, it was definitely important to find him and save him.
Unfortunately, he had absolutely no clues to work with. After thinking about the matter for a bit, he sighed and put the matter to rest temporarily. Just when he was about to start working with eighteen-colored flame, his expression flickered, and he looked down at his bag of holding. Eyes lighting up, he produced the Eternal Parasol.
The canopy of the parasol had been destroyed by Chen Haosong, leaving behind only the shaft. Thankfully, the beast hide he had found when shaking down the Li Clan had been a perfect fit.
Now, it was completely recovered. As soon as it was out in the open, it glowed with black light. As for the beast hide which formed the new canopy, it caused the parasol as a whole to emanate fluctuations which were many times more powerful than before. As of this moment, the parasol seemed completely different from before.
As he held it, he could sense an incredible, shocking power inside of it. Unable to contain his excitement, he snapped it open.
Rumbling sounds filled the room, and at the same time, the ghost face appeared on the canopy, with its enigmatic smile, and half-laughing half-crying ghost face.
The ghost face was much clearer than before, and was actually a bit frightening to Bai Xiaochun. However, upon rotating his cultivation base, the feeling went away.
"My Eternal Parasol is finally fully repaired!"
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Chapter 780: Shakedown Addiction
Ten days passed by in a flash, during which time Bai Xiaochun never went outside. He remained in seclusion in the Inspections Manor, getting familiar with the formula for eighteen-colored flame.
With Bai Hao's help, he was gradually making progress. He had even attempted to do a few conjurings. However, the resource wastage was incredible.
The formula for eighteen-colored flame was different from other formulas, and took a lot more resources. In fact, to conjure a single eighteen-colored flame required that he first conjure ten seventeen-colored flames.
Despite the fact that Bai Xiaochun had access to vast wealth, he still couldn't sustain such losses.
"What am I supposed to do now…?" he thought. However, even as he pondered the issue, the Grand Heavenmaster did something major!
After ten days of thought and contemplation, he acted in lightning-like fashion to arrest nine of the heavenly marquises!
The arrests shook everyone in the Wildlands, even the four heavenly kings. All of Arch-Emperor City was abuzz, and the remaining ninety or so heavenly marquises were panic-stricken.
Although no action had been taken against any of the heavenly dukes, they were also filled with dread. In fact, all of them chose to go into seclusion, and refused to see anyone who called on them. They simply did not want to get involved in what was happening.
Even Chen Haosong knew that he was in a very dangerous position, and simply kept his mouth shut and went into seclusion.
After the nine heavenly marquises were apprehended, their clans were left behind, trembling in terror. Furthermore, without express permission from the Grand Heavenmaster himself, none of them were permitted to leave the city.
While everyone in Arch-Emperor City was shaking in fear, Bai Xiaochun finally got his orders from the Grand Heavenmaster. He was to go shake down the offending clans!
At long last, Bai Xiaochun was able to make full use of his skills. He had been waiting for this day for some time. After the destruction of his spirit enhancement shop, he had been cut off from cultivation resource income. Now that he had been ordered to shake down some clans, he would finally get some money back.
As soon as he had the Dharmic decree in hand, he was filled with excitement.
"It's going to take a lot of souls to practice with eighteen-colored flame. Too many to even calculate. There is really no trick I can use other than to simply practice over and over again!
"Ah, shakedowns…. If I shake down nine heavenly marquis clans, then I can get to work conjuring some flame!!" Without the slightest hesitation, Bai Xiaochun took his army of 3,000 corpse troopers and immediately went to work with the list the Grand Heavenmaster had provided him. The time had come to do something that he was starting to get a bit entranced with… perform some shakedowns!
"Fudge. I started shaking down clans almost as soon as I got to the Wildlands. First in Giant Ghost City, and now here in Arch-Emperor City. In terms of shakedown skills, if I ranked 2nd in the Wildlands, then there wouldn't be someone who ranked 1st!" Looking very proud and even disdainful, he headed toward the first clan on the list.
As soon as he emerged from the Inspections Manor, it caused a big stir in the city. Even the most wicked and vile characters in the city got out of his way. The city folk trembled, and as for the nobility and aristocracy, they felt like they were in a nightmare from which they couldn't awaken.
One after another, he took his terrifying army of corpse troopers to the clans and shook them down. He cleaned them out, down to the grass on the ground. Anything of value was taken, even building decorations. A storehouse of grain attacked by starving rats wouldn't have ended up as empty.
However, the star of the entire show actually wasn't Bai Xiaochun, but Zhou Yixing. He was a true genius when it came to clan shakedowns, with eagle eyes that could find the most hidden of treasures. Thanks to him, every little thing was taken away.
In order to make sure that he had plenty of resources to work with when concocting flame, Bai Xiaochun even woke up the little turtle. The little turtle was also very fond of shakedowns, and when he worked together with Zhou Yixing, they created a windstorm of calamity for anyone in their path….
Quite an audience went along with Bai Xiaochun to watch him shake down the nine heavenly marquis clans, and the sight left them stunned. Soon, all sorts of stories began to spread.
"This Bai Hao was born to shake down clans…. How heartless!"
"Heavens! He doesn't even let the houses stand… he tears them down!!"
"What eyes he has! Every time he points his finger, he finds hidden treasures!! This Bai Hao… could he have been a packrat in a previous life?!?!"
The entire city was abuzz. Even more shocking to the people who were paying close attention was that Bai Xiaochun's first shakedown took six hours. However, by the time he got to the fourth, he only needed four hours to clean the entire clan out, and even leave most of the buildings in ruins….
By the time he reached the seventh clan, he acted with explosive efficiency. He only took two hours to leave the seventh clan as little more than a crater in the ground….
And yet, that almost didn't count for anything. Most shocking was the ninth clan…. It only took a single hour, and when he departed, not even a grain of dust was left behind…. It was a stunning event to anyone who could see it.
Although Bai Xiaochun had experienced many things in his life, the amount of wealth he was amassing by shaking down these nine clans caused even his heart to pound. In fact, he managed to get his hand on quite a few complete fifteen-colored flames, and even some flames of higher quality!
Those completed flames were extremely important, because they would enable him to cut down on the souls necessary to practice with eighteen-colored flame.
As far as Bai Xiaochun was concerned, seventeen-colored flames were like precious treasures.
By the time he reached the ninth clan, it took a lot of restraint on his part not to go shake down the clan located just across from them.
When the members of that clan saw his greedy, bloodshot eyes, they hurried out to confirm that their clan wasn't on the list. After all, it would only take a single order on the part of Bai Xiaochun to send his 3,000 corpse troopers into their clan and ruin it completely.
Because of his frenzied shakedown of the nine clans, the name of Bai Hao grew even more infamous in Arch-Emperor City. In fact, it also spread throughout the Wildlands to certain almighty figures in the sects in the Heavenspan River region, who were privy to some of the things that went on in the Wildlands.
By this point, Bai Xiaochun was basically addicted to shakedowns, and thankfully, it was at this point that the Grand Heavenmaster issued another set of arrest warrants. Seven more heavenly marquises were apprehended!
When the Dharmic decree came down, Bai Xiaochun was delighted. Laughing heartily, he descended upon the offending clans in a storm of shakedowns. As a result, the nobility and aristocracy in Arch-Emperor City began to use every means they could think of to reach out to the Grand Heavenmaster and express their loyalty.
For the first time ever, the Arch-Emperor voluntarily went into secluded meditation, which seemed to be a clear message that he was trying to protect the aristocracy and officials. However, the truth was that he was bowing his head in an attempt to win public favor.
The Grand Heavenmaster knew that, but didn't care. He didn't want public favor; he wanted people to fear him. And that was exactly what he was accomplishing.
Bai Xiaochun was very pleased, and shook down the next seven clans with even greater efficiency. The spoils caused his eyes to shine as if they were made from gold.
He was not a person who cared much about wealth, and yet, was struggling against the impulse to go shake down all of the heavenly marquis clans in the Arch-Emperor Dynasty…. However, he was always careful to send ninety percent of the goods to Heavenmaster Hall, with one main goal being… helping the Grand Heavenmaster understand how fabulously wealthy these heavenly marquis clans were.
Furthermore, that wealth was one of the reasons for their wild ambitions!
Sadly, after striking twice against the heavenly marquises, the Grand Heavenmaster didn't do so again.
Bai Xiaochun waited for a while, and then sighed sadly as he thought about the remaining ninety or so clans.
"The Grand Heavenmaster is far too merciful. It would be way better to keep shaking down more of those clans!" However, this session of shakedowns was over, and Bai Xiaochun had no choice but to go back to the Inspections Manor, where he once again went into secluded meditation.
Thanks to all of the multi-colored flame he had acquired, he began to get more and more familiar with eighteen-colored flame. In fact, he advanced by leaps and bounds, to the point where it was almost impossible to calculate how much time and effort he was saving.
The fall of those sixteen heavenly marquises pushed the Grand Heavenmaster's power to new heights. The Arch-Emperor was now in seclusion, and so were the imperial princes and princesses. Nobody from the imperial clan dared to even take half a step out of their official residences.
Even the four heavenly kings chose to submit to the Grand Heavenmaster in this situation. None of them did anything to provoke him. The Grand Heavenmaster was currently the most powerful and glorious person imaginable, even more so than when he had become a demigod and forced the Arch-Emperor to become his puppet.
Three months passed by. Because of the shakedowns, and because of the Grand Heavenmaster's power, Bai Xiaochun was more famous than ever. In fact, there were few people in the Wildlands who hadn't heard of the name Bai Hao. Savages in tribes both large and small feared him, and his notoriety grew as the stories about him spread….
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Chapter 781: Dark Undercurrents Appear
"So you've also heard of Inspections Commissioner Bai Hao? He kills people without batting an eyelid. He's vicious and merciless, and a complete madman!"
"He's a self-proclaimed wife-stealer who cheats his superiors and defrauds his subordinates! Everyone says that he's an unabashed brown-noser who even managed to hoodwink the Giant Ghost King!"
"He's very skilled with shakedowns, to the point where he doesn't even leave the grass behind! He's shaken down eighteen clans in the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, and is so ruthless everyone hates him!"
"He's a complete villain who cultivates an evil technique that absorbs life force! You can find people all over the place in Arch-Emperor City who had life force stolen away by him!'
According to the stories which were spreading through the Wildlands, this Bai Hao was a person who was wicked beyond redemption. In fact, in many of the savage tribes, his name was a very effective tool used to frighten naughty children.
As for Bai Xiaochun, he didn't really care at all about that. However, his apprentice did! Bai Hao would occasionally go out into the city, thanks to the infinite shapeshifting abilities that came with being a ghost cultivator. Furthermore, since he was acting as Bai Xiaochun's soul slave, he could go out and about without attracting any attention, as long as he maintained a stiff appearance. Besides, Bai Xiaochun had arranged for him to be escorted by corpse troopers wherever he went, and therefore, no one ever dared to cause problems for him.
Bai Xiaochun's flame conjuring was a very expensive thing. Even with everything he had acquired in the shakedowns, he still couldn't sustain the work for too long. After all, each attempt required ten tongues of seventeen-colored flame.
As such, both Bai Hao and Zhou Yixing would often go out to acquire more souls for him to use.
It was because of such frequent outings that Bai Hao continued to hear more and more stories with his name in them. From what he could tell, his Master really was ruining his name….
Furthermore, many of the rumors were the type that got Bai Hao worried about potential dangers.
As for Bai Xiaochun, as his resources drained away, he became more and more confident with eighteen-colored flame. In fact, he was fairly certain that with only a few more sessions of practice, he would succeed!
He was actually starting to get anxious, and was worrying about the same dangers that Bai Hao had already begun to worry about. After all, he had behaved with complete madness on the day of ancestral sacrifices, to the point where it clearly put him in a position of extreme danger!
Before, he had been a sharp knife wielded by the Grand Heavenmaster, and had thus benefited from his protection. But now, the Grand Heavenmaster was at the peak of power, and had suppressed everyone. Therefore, the position of inspections commissioner wasn't as important anymore, and would in fact soon be unnecessary. When the world was at peace, there was no need for razor-sharp knives!
Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but worry that the Grand Heavenmaster would eventually just discard him to earn back favor with the nobility and aristocracy. Thankfully, Bai Xiaochun and Bai Hao had discussed the matter, and both agreed that, considering the level of his cultivation base, no matter how great the danger he faced, there was one way he could save himself.
And that was… to become an earthly necromancer!
By becoming an earthly necromancer at just the right moment, he could definitely get out of even the most difficult situation!
"However," he thought, "both Hao'er and I agree that the Grand Heavenmaster probably won't get rid of me any time soon…. Maybe I'm just reading into things too deeply. Maybe the Grand Heavenmaster will continue to approve of me more because of everything I've done. Besides, even Hao'er thinks that his attitude might change soon….
"After all, I was very careful to make sure that ninety percent of what I acquired in the shakedowns was sent to him. I refuse to believe that doing all that didn't make an impression on him. Although those heavenly marquis clans weren't rich enough to fund the entire nation, they were still fabulously wealthy…." With that, he looked down at the tongue of fire he held in his hand.
"All of that will be what I rely on for protection…. Maybe nothing will happen. But if there is even the slightest sign of danger, I can rely on the ruthless plan Hao'er came up with…. That plan could buy me some time, but it really is ruthlessly harmful. Although I don't care too much about my reputation here, it would be best to avoid it if at all possible….
"However, if the Grand Heavenmaster forces my hand… then I'll have no other choice but to do it!" Taking a deep breath to still his thoughts, he continued with his flame conjuring.
Even as Bai Xiaochun was worrying about potential danger, and doing everything he could to succeed with eighteen-colored flame, a pair of eyes like those of a viper had come to focus… on Bai Hao!
Certain forces had begun to gather every bit of information they could about him, and at the moment, a meeting was taking place somewhere in Arch-Emperor City, in an unassuming private chamber!
"The soul has no name, but is always at Bai Hao's side….
"The investigation in Giant Ghost City has concluded, and nobody knows where the soul came from….
"The first time anyone saw it was in Bai Hao's spirit enhancement shop….
"It looks stiff and numb, like ordinary soul slaves usually do…."
There were thirteen shadowy figures floated within the darkness of the private chamber. It was impossible to see their features clearly, but all of them were gazing steadily at a person who sat in the very middle of them all. She was a beautiful young woman, and she was currently revealing all of the information gleaned from recent investigations into the soul-form Bai Hao.
If Bai Xiaochun were here, he would immediately recognize this young woman. She was Miao Lin'er!
She had fought Bai Xiaochun back in the Necromancer Kettle, and had also plotted against him after he arrived in Arch-Emperor City. However, none of her plotting had come to fruition so far.
"After Bai Hao became the inspections commissioner, the soul disappeared from public view, and remained heavily guarded inside the Inspections Manor. No one was able to get any information about it….
"However, during the past three months, the soul has been seen out in the city more often. Normally, it is acting on the orders of Bai Hao to purchase souls….
"It was last seen three days ago…. According to our calculations, that soul will appear at least one more time during the next two weeks!
"However, it is always escorted by at least 100 corpse troopers. It's the same with Zhou Yixing." Miao Lin'er spoke slowly and clearly so that everything she said was very easy to understand. Furthermore, she was no longer dressed in the revealing way she had been before, but rather, more modestly.
"Therefore, I suggest… that we make our move the next time that soul appears out in the open!" With that, she clasped hands and bowed to the thirteen shadowy figures.
The thirteen figures remained silent for a long moment before one of them spoke.
"Are you sure that this soul is actually intelligent? If so, how intelligent? Has it been merely putting on an act to fool outsiders?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Miao Lin'er replied, "Although I've only personally seen the soul a few times, I am absolutely certain!"
Another protracted silence followed, after which another of the shadowy figures spoke in a raspy voice.
"This soul slave of the mad dog Bai Hao is obviously very important to him…. Therefore, you need to be absolutely certain that it can be used… to conjure eighteen-colored flame!!"
Miao Lin'er didn't respond at first. Instead, she produced thirteen bone slips from her bag of holding, which she sent flying to the thirteen shadowy figures.
After catching the jade slips, the shadowy figures studied their contents, and then soon, their eyes began to shine brightly. Clearly, the information they were seeing confirmed the answer to the question that had just been posed.
With that Miao Lin'er went on, "To our clan, the most important factor to consider in eighteen-colored flame is the flame spark…. With the flame spark, my grandfather can rise to the rank of earthly necromancer! Only after that point would he be able to conjure eighteen-colored flame without the use of this type of soul!
"Seniors, I can guarantee that all of you will get the formula for eighteen-colored flame afterward. In fact, my grandfather will even swear a Dao oath to that effect!
"Seniors, clearly you can see that Bai Hao's days are numbered. The only reason the Grand Heavenmaster is still hesitating about him is that he hasn't found the right opportunity…. In any case, that doesn't matter. Bai Hao is already a toothless tiger. If he can't reign himself in, then we won't need to do anything. We just need to add a bit of fuel to the fire, and the Grand Heavenmaster will definitely kill him to appease the masses. At that point, Bai Hao's reign of terror will finally be over!"
Smiling faintly, Miao Lin'er looked around at the silent figures and said, "What the Grand Heavenmaster wants now is stability. Furthermore, what need would he have to get rid of people who have outlived their usefulness, if those people are already dead?"
Miao Lin'er wasn't feeling anxious at all as she stood waiting for a response. She was extremely confident, and was sure that nothing unexpected would happen in the plan. The truth was that she hadn't paid much attention to the soul-form Bai Hao. Because of the powers of Bai Xiaochun's mask, Bai Hao had always looked like any other soul slave would. It was only when he and Bai Xiaochun were alone together that he would show any signs of being alive.
However… something had happened during the flame conjuring competition with Sun Yifan and Sima Tao! In the moment that Bai Xiaochun created a faint eighteen-colored flame, Bai Hao had been so emotional that not even the protection of Bai Xiaochun's mask had been able to conceal it. In that moment, Miao Lin'er had looked over and noticed the change to his facial expression. Furthermore, the technique she cultivated had something to do with souls, which made her even more perceptive than the average cultivator in that regard.
Miao Lin'er did not belong to the clan of a heavenly marquis, but rather, a heavenly duke. Furthermore… her clan had once given rise to an earthly necromancer!
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Chapter 782: Conjuring Eighteen-Colored Flame
The earthly necromancer who had risen up in Miao Lin'er's clan had long since perished. However, before that, he had been spectacularly famous, and had only been half a step away from becoming a heavenly necromancer. Before his death, he had managed to create a magical device linked to the bloodline of the clan, which made it impossible for anyone outside of the clan to acquire their formula for eighteen- or nineteen-colored flame. Not even a demigod would be able to acquire them without their consent.
Therefore, the good fortunes of the clan continued even after the death of that earthly necromancer. Although they had experienced something of a decline, they still had their reserve savings. Furthermore, Miao Lin'er's grandfather was already at the peak of the celestial rank.
His main goal was to rise from the celestial rank to the earthly rank, and then restore the glory which had been brought to the clan by that earlier earthly necromancer. Their clan would shake the Wildlands, and would have a position higher than the clans with heavenly marquises and dukes. They would actually be on the same standing as the Grand Heavenmaster.
Unfortunately, their clan's method for reaching the earthly necromancer rank was unique, and required a very intelligent soul to use as the primary ingredient. Only in that way could the requisite flame spark be created! Because of that, and because of the technique cultivated by the clan as a whole, they were particularly sensitive to the fluctuations of souls.
Unfortunately, intelligent souls were a rarity. Although their clan had managed to produce some throughout the years, none of them were perfect. Without a soul that met all the standards, any attempts to make eighteen-colored flame would be useless.
After Miao Lin'er noticed something different about the soul-form Bai Hao, she had immediately notified her grandfather. That prompted the clan to do more careful tests, whereupon it was confirmed that Bai Hao was exactly the type of soul they needed to make their flame spark!
Were it not for Bai Xiaochun himself, Miao Lin'er's clan would already have made a move and snatched Bai Hao. Later, Bai Xiaochun skyrocketed to the position of inspections commissioner, and shook everything under heaven. At that point, they didn't dare to provoke him, and simply bided their time.
But now… they saw the perfect opportunity. Although they still feared Bai Xiaochun, their desire to have an earthly necromancer pushed them to make a decision. They spared no cost to propose an alliance with thirteen other clans within Arch-Emperor City. They had showered them with gifts and even offered to swear a Dao oath to make it happen. With the full power of the alliance focused together, they were sure… that they could spirit Bai Hao away without leaving a trace of evidence!
At this point in the meeting, Miao Lin'er felt more confident than ever.
Some time passed, during which the thirteen shadowy figures took more time to think. Then, one by one, they swore Dao oaths and placed them into the bone slips, formalizing the alliance.
Miao Lin'er smiled a beautiful smile, then clasped hands and bowed.
"Excellent. The next time that soul appears, we'll make our move! According to the strategy put in place by my grandfather, we will plan for the worst-case scenario. After we have the soul, our clan members will scatter and go into hiding in your thirteen clans. Three months later, my grandfather will be able to conjure the flame spark! And now, I'll take my leave."
With that, she gave a curtseying bow, turned, and glided out of the private chamber. Actually, Miao Lin'er was of the opinion that her grandfather was being too careful in all of this. Not even she had any idea where he would go into hiding after the clan dispersed. She didn't even know who the thirteen clans were that she had just been speaking to.
"Well, as long as grandfather is confident in being able to prevent the other clans from backstabbing us, then I guess we should be fine." Although she couldn't quite wrap her mind around what her grandfather was thinking, she was sure that Bai Xiaochun's days were numbered, and that he would soon be dead.
Half a month flew by in the briefest of moments. Bai Xiaochun was now only a short step away from successfully conjuring an eighteen-colored flame!
His speed in progress was thanks in part to the extravagant wastage of resources, but also because Bai Xiaochun had begun to apply Bai Hao's theories to the formulas of everything from fifteen-colored flame and above. That made things go even more smoothly.
Most importantly, he had already succeeded with a very faint eighteen-colored flame during the competition with Sun Yifan and Sima Tao. Because of that, he was able to save a huge amount of time!
"This time, I'm definitely going to succeed!" he thought excitedly, his hair in disarray and his eyes bloodshot. He had hardly rested at all during the past several months, but he was still in extremely high spirits.
"It has to work! I've wasted virtually all of the resources from all of those clans…. After this current attempt, I'll only have enough for two more tries…." During the recent period of intense work, Bai Hao and Zhou Yixing had been very busy selling items from Bai Xiaochun's bag of holding and using the profits to get more souls. In fact, both of them were currently outside, gathering the ingredients he needed for his final batches.
Bai Xiaochun took a very deep breath, closed his eyes, and then settled his qi and cleared his mind. After a long moment passed, he slapped his bag of holding and produced ten seventeen-colored flames.
Immediately, his hands flew out to either side, flashing with incantation gestures. At this point, all of his concentration was focused on the ten tongues of seventeen-colored flame, as he oh so slowly began to merge them together!
He had already attempted to do this on several occasions, and was quite familiar with the process. Gradually, the ten tongues of flame transformed into a sea of fire.
Incredible levels of heat rolled off of it, although it was contained within a 300-meter area. Anything beyond that wasn't affected at all.
That was a trick Bai Xiaochun had come up with during his many sessions of practice!
"And now, it's time to start compressing it…." He unleashed the power of his cultivation base, and focused his divine sense. Nothing else in the world mattered to him in this moment; he was completely focused on compressing that seventeen-colored sea of fire.
RUUUUUUUUUUMBLE!
His secluded meditation facilities shook as the power being exerted onto the seventeen-colored sea of fire caused it to start shrinking down. From 300 meters, down to 270 meters. Then 240 meters, 210 meters, 180 meters….
And it kept going!
Beads of sweat popped out on Bai Xiaochun's forehead, and he began to pant from the exertion. The fluctuations of his divine sense were somewhat disorderly, and yet, the sea of fire continued to shrink down. Soon it was 150 meters. Then 120 meters, 90 meters….
"This was where I failed so many times before…." He thought, working hard to maintain full focus. Soon, the sea of fire had shrunk down to 60 meters!
And things weren't over yet! 45 meters. 30 meters. 15 meters!
By this point, the seventeen-colored sea of fire seemed like the sovereign of all types of fire! Intense rumbling sounds echoed out, and the fire leaped and danced as though it didn't wish to be constrained.
However, all of the explosive activity was limited to that 15-meter area. As the shrinking continued, shocking transformations were beginning to occur. The fire began to burn hotter, and the seventeen different colors inside of it were beginning to overlap. It was a dazzling sight that not even Bai Xiaochun's divine sense could make out clearly.
Furthermore, as the seventeen different colors flickered, it was possible to see… another color!!
"This is the last, critical moment!" he murmured excitedly. According to the formula, it was within the 15-meter area that the eighteenth color would appear. It was in that critical moment that his vision would begin to swim, but that he would be required to locate that additional color!
When he located it, he would have to lock his divine sense on it, causing that color to expand, to grow, to become… the eighteenth color!
At that point, he could make a portion of eighteen-colored soul medicine, or, if he compressed the flame all the way down, an eighteen-colored flame!
He would only have one chance, and if he failed… the flame would vanish.
The smaller the sea of fire got, the more slowly the colors would flicker, which would make it easier to spot and lock onto the new color. Unfortunately, he needed to exert more force to do that, which meant that the chances of dangerous instabilities were even greater!
This was another point where he had often failed in the past.
"I can't fail again…." Forcing his breathing under control, he stared at the 15-meter sea of fire and tried as hard as he could to locate the additional color. Unfortunately, every time he sent his divine sense deep into the fire, it was rebuffed.
Time passed, and he was beginning to lose focus.
"I'll compress it more!" he said with full determination. At this point, he abandoned his search efforts, and began to push the flame down to a smaller size. It was now 12 meters across, and the flickering of the colors was growing slower.
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Chapter 783: Dramatic Events!
The slowdown compared to the 15-meter size was miniscule. In fact, most other people wouldn't even be able to notice the difference. However, Bai Xiaochun was so focused on the sea of fire that he could immediately notice the difference.
And yet, even with that change, the flickering colors within the 12-meter sea of fire were still impossible to penetrate with divine sense. Bai Xiaochun's eyes were bloodshot, and he was trembling physically from the exertion. By now, his cultivation base, his mental faculties, and his ability to shrink the sea of fire were all reaching the limit.
And yet, he didn't attempt to shrink the sea of fire down again. He tried yet again to find the eighteenth color. Then he tried a second time, and a third time…. In the short time it takes an incense stick to burn, he was able to glimpse it a total of fourteen times.
"So, I was right. This time, things are going better. The last time, I was only able to glimpse it nine times. This time, that number has increased to fourteen."
His spirits were lifted. However, despite having glimpsed it clearly so many times, he still wasn't able to reach it with his divine sense. He sighed, then gritted his teeth and gave up on trying to form the eighteen-colored flame with a 12-meter sea of flame. Instead, he chose… to shrink it down again!
It was almost as if a huge pair of hands were physically pushing the sea of fire in on itself. It began to fluctuate, and even seemed to be teetering on the verge of destabilizing. Bai Xiaochun immediately adjusted his method of control, and when it stabilized, he forced it to shrink from 12 meters… to 9 meters!
Sweat poured down his forehead, but quickly evaporated into steam thanks to the intense heat of the sea of fire.
By now, Bai Xiaochun was panting nervously. Shrinking the sea of fire down to 9 meters was something he would only do if absolutely necessary. It was very draining on him mentally, and also caused the sea of fire to behave even more wildly than before.
Worse of all, his numerous practice sessions had led him to the discovery… that 9 meters was the absolute limit!
Although it was possible to shrink the fire down to 6 meters, if he did, it would be destroyed moments later.
After all of his experiments, he was fully convinced that although it was technically possible to shrink the sea of flames down to a size of 6 meters, and that doing so would slow the flickering colors so much that, if he then sent divine sense into it, the result would be the same as had occurred when he was conjuring in the presence of Sima Tao and Sun Yifan. He would create only a dim wisp, not a true flame!
It was only because of the powers of his mask that, over the course of the past few months, no one had ever sensed it when he created such flame wisps.
And in the end, what Bai Xiaochun wanted was, not a flame wisp… but a complete eighteen-colored flame!
"9 is the limit…." he murmured, eyes shining with focused determination. He knew that he couldn't keep going for very much longer, so he focused all of his mental faculties on searching within that sea of fire for the new flame.
He did it in methodical fashion, not blindly. After the initial attempt failed, he tried a second time, then a third time…. On the fourth time, when he was certain he had identified the newly added color, he unhesitatingly sent his divine sense exploding out.
His eyes shone with glittering light as his divine sense fused with his vision, pierced into the 9-meter sea of fire… and latched onto the newly added color.
As his divine sense merged with the new color, the color became brighter, as though it were struggling with the other seventeen colors. The 9-meter sea of fire rumbled loudly as the other seventeen colors fought as viciously as a nation defending against an invading army!
But Bai Xiaochun was in control of everything, and refused to allow the other seventeen colors to interfere. Within the shortest of moments, the eighteenth color grew brighter and more shocking.
The entire room shook violently as… the eighteenth color appeared in full in the 9-meter sea of fire!!
As of this moment, it was crystal clear that the sea of fire had risen… to the level of eighteen-colored flame!!
Although it was still in the sea of fire state, all Bai Xiaochun had to do was use his flame conjuring techniques to return it to a state of flame, and that was nothing incredibly difficult!
For all intents and purposes, he was now looking at an eighteen-colored flame!
In the instant the eighteenth color appeared in the sea of fire, it was almost as if the fire itself had fused with heaven and earth, instantly causing drastic transformations.
They were clear signs and portents pointing to the fact that an eighteen-colored flame had been brought into existence!
Any given eighteen-colored flame was enough to shake all creation, and gave rise to something like heavenly tribulation. If Bai Xiaochun closed his fist down to create the actual flame, then those signs and portents would grow more intense, until visible manifestations could be seen in heaven and earth.
Even now, in the sea of fire state, there were still incredible fluctuations, although they were currently being covered up by Bai Xiaochun's mask.
"It worked!!" he exclaimed, trembling. He had been waiting for this day for a very long time, had spent months doing research, had performed unending experiments, and had spent outrageous amounts of resources. And it had all been for this moment.
Although his heart was going wild with excitement, he took a few deep breaths, and calmed himself. Then, he began to close his fingers into a fist.
The 9-meter sea of fire churned and writhed, almost as if something inside of it were screaming. As it began to shrink down into his palm, though, certain fluctuations appeared that caused him to hesitate.
Those fluctuations were coming from his mask, and were an indication its powers were wavering…. If that happened, and Bai Xiaochun pulled the sea of fire all the way into his palm to create an eighteen-colored flame, then the drastic transformations that resulted would notify everyone in Arch-Emperor City of what had occurred.
And that would cause problems for his upcoming plan. Eighteen-colored flame was one of his trump cards, and to reveal it too soon would give his enemies the chance to prepare for it.
Eyes glittering, Bai Xiaochun committed every aspect of this conjuring session to memory, so that he could be completely confident in replicating it in the future. He wouldn't necessarily be able to succeed every single time, but he would at least have a sixty percent success rate!
Considering how confident he was feeling, he had to force himself not to go ahead and take the chance and form the flame. However, he could not afford to gamble in this situation. A trump card like this was far too important.
Therefore, he sighed in regret, then grabbed the sea of fire in a way that caused it to transform… into a portion of soul medicine!
It was something even more rare in the Wildlands than eighteen-colored flame… supreme-grade soul medicine!!
In some ways, this portion of soul medicine actually did prove that Bai Xiaochun had broken through to become an earthly necromancer!
He now had a higher standing than the heavenly marquises and dukes, and was someone even the Grand Heavenmaster would have to treat with respect. He was one of only four… earthly necromancers!!
"Eighteen-colored flame…. Dammit, if it weren't for that Hell-Emperor Stele, I would enhance my nascent soul right now…. It's been a long time since I did. That would put me right in the late Nascent Soul stage!" However, doing that would come with other risks. Therefore, he decided to simply wait for the right moment to skyrocket to prominence in one fell swoop.
It was a lot less glorious to be a powerful person who nobody knew about, and it immediately dampened some of Bai Xiaochun's excitement over being an earthly necromancer. However, at least he could tell his apprentice. Feeling very proud of himself, he drew upon his mental connection with Bai Hao to call out to him.
"Apprentice, guess what Master--" However, before he could finish speaking, Bai Hao replied in an anxious voice!!
"Master, help m--"
Before he could finish speaking, it was to Bai Xiaochun's utter shock that their connection… was severed!
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Chapter 784: Raging Murderous Aura
There was no possible way that Bai Xiaochun could have been prepared for the sudden and unexpected severing of his connection to his apprentice.
"Hao'er!!" he shouted, leaping to his feet, mind reeling with a sense of deep foreboding.
There was clearly no time to ponder the situation. All of the joy about becoming an earthly necromancer was cast deep into the back of his mind, which was now filled with only one subject: Bai Hao!
Without pausing for even a moment, he walked out of his secluded meditation chamber, flew up into the air above the Inspections Manor, and then shot with lightning-like speed in the direction he knew Bai Hao to have been in moments ago.
He even resorted to teleportations, moving with dramatic speed that caused whistling sounds to echo about. He vanished in the blink of an eye, and when he reappeared, he was on a crowded street near the edge of the borough that was home to the Inspections Manor, which was right in the middle of the city center!
It was a bustling street with many stores, and countless pedestrians walking every which way. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the area, but Bai Xiaochun's sudden appearance, accompanied by intense rumbling sounds, caused countless people to look over in shock. Many even backed away reflexively.
"It's Bai Hao!!"
"What's he doing here…?"
As soon as people realized who it was, they started to get nervous. After all, everyone had been talking about Bai Hao recently.
Even more unsettling than his mere presence was the fact that his expression was profoundly grim, and he was even trembling physically, as if from rage. As soon as he arrived, his divine sense spread out to fill the area, and the killing intent present within it was like an angry wave that swept out in all directions.
In response, countless faces fell, and many people even gasped.
"What's wrong with Bai Hao?!?!"
"Heavens, what is he going to do?!?!"
"What happened?!?!" Everyone was shaken by the murderous aura radiating off of Bai Xiaochun, and many of them immediately felt as if they were in danger!
It was a rare thing to see him like this; at the moment, he almost seemed out of control. His heart overflowed with anxiety, concern, and self-blame, a combination which pushed him into utter madness. He looked like he was ready to unleash a bloodbath!!
It was with bloodshot eyes that he scanned the street, his gaze soon coming to rest on one particular shop that specialized in selling souls. However, he couldn't detect any evidence of fighting in the area, not even the fluctuations of magical techniques.
There were absolutely no clues present, and yet, Bai Xiaochun was certain that this was the area from which Bai Hao had messaged him urgently! As for the one hundred corpse troopers who had been assigned to protect Bai Hao, they were not harmed in any way. However, they appeared to have been tampered with in some way, as they simply stood in place unmoving.
At this point, Bai Xiaochun threw his head back and let loose a howl that shook all creation. It was a hoarse cry filled with fury and madness, that swept out like a mad tempest.
"Corpse troopers!!"
Instantly, the corpse troopers back in the Inspections Manor all shivered, and then shot toward Bai Xiaochun in beams of light, their murderous auras raging like vortexes around them.
Dramatic rumbling sounds filled heaven and earth as 3,000 corpse troopers converged on Bai Xiaochun's location.
"Lock down this entire area! Search every person, every shop, every alley. Search everything!! Find my soul slave!!" The 3,000 corpse troopers' eyes began to shine with red light, and their murderous auras grew more intense as they fanned out and began to follow the orders Bai Xiaochun had just issued.
They even began to magically seal the entire area, including the soul cultivators, regardless of the level of their cultivation base, their background, or their status.
They searched the shops, and searched the cultivators, even their bags of holding. The shop Bai Xiaochun had identified as Bai Hao's last known location was of particular focus in the investigation.
Of course, everyone was infuriated, and some began to angrily protest, and even refused to cooperate.
Bai Xiaochun remained in place, unmoving, seemingly not possessing any aura at all, only an intense, frigid coldness that caused frost to start to build up in the area.
His face almost looked like that of a corpse, his eyes growing more bloodshot by the moment, until they were almost pure red.
Coupled with his disheveled hair, he looked like a devilish god. Furthermore, the murderous feeling of the icy coldness made it seem like, if this person went crazy, he could eradicate worlds!!
He seemed completely oblivious to the commotion, immune to the shouting. In fact, he didn't even see anything around him. He was completely wrapped up in memories.
First was an image of himself teleporting into the Wildlands and finding Bai Hao's corpse.
Second was when he assumed Bai Hao's identity, went to the Bai Clan, and found Bai Hao's notes written on the floor of his hut….
Third was the Necromancer Kettle, when he actually found Bai Hao's soul….
Fourth was when Bai Hao awoke, then kowtowed and called him Master.
Fifth was in the spirit enhancement shop, where the two of them had relied upon each other for survival, with Bai Hao constantly giving him advice….
There was a sixth and a seventh….
When he finally reached the last of the memories, his heart was as black as the night, and Bai Hao's voice rang in his ears….
"Master, help m--"
As he stood there with a blank look in his eyes, his corpse troopers were causing a huge scene as they searched the area. The commotion was growing more and more intense.
"What are you doing? Do you know who I am?!?!"
"Dammit! Even if you are the inspections commissioner, you don't have the power to do this! I come from Heavenly Duke Situ's clan! How dare you search me!!"
At one point, an old man furiously made his way through the crowd to stand in front of Bai Xiaochun.
"Bai Hao, I'm an honor guard from Heavenmaster Manor! If you want to go crazy, fine. I can't believe you're using your corpse trooper army like this all because of a soul slave. I'm definitely going to report this to the Grand Heavenmaster. Let me go immediately so that I can return to Heavenmaster Manor!" Other people feared the Inspections Manor, but this old man was a member of the Heavenmaster Manor. As far as he was concerned, the Inspections Manor was nothing more than an attack dog used by the grand heavenmaster.
Heavenmaster Manor was indeed a very special place. It was actually the clan of the Grand Heavenmaster, and this so-called honor guard was essentially a personal attendant of the Grand Heavenmaster.
Even as the old man was yelling angrily, Bai Xiaochun looked up, and without saying even a single word, stepped forward and punched him right in the chest!
It happened so quickly and suddenly that the old man couldn't even react. Bai Xiaochun possessed battle prowess equivalent to a half-deva, power which completely overwhelmed this honor guard from Heavenmaster Manor.
A miserable shriek erupted from his mouth, followed by a stream of blood. He flew backward like a kite with its string cut, and before he could even land, the power of the fist strike caused him to explode into bits! A rain of blood and gore then descended onto the city….
Everyone was completely shocked by the sight, and looked over incredulously at Bai Xiaochun. That old man had been from the Heavenmaster Manor…
And yet Bai Xiaochun had killed him without uttering a single word!
"If anyone resists, kill them immediately!" he said in a hoarse, cold voice that echoed out for everyone to hear.
No one dared to offer any further resistance. It was at this point that Zhou Yixing finally arrived, just in time to see the old man getting killed. Then he looked around at the army of corpse troopers, and finally at Bai Xiaochun. The expression on Bai Xiaochun's face instantly struck fear into his heart; he had never seen him like this before.
"Milord--" he began.
Before he could say anything else, Bai Xiaochun looked over and cut him off. "Find my soul slave!"
His gaze caused Zhou Yixing's mind to reel, and even fill him with intense coldness. Without any hesitation, he joined the search effort.
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Chapter 785: Warmth From The Giant Ghost King
The search didn't last for long. The corpse troopers were like fiendish monsters, who demanded cooperation even if it wasn't offered. Before long, all of the shops had been thoroughly searched, as had all the people.
Zhou Yixing's efforts were particularly speedy and thorough. Because of all the shakedowns he had participated in, he was able to leave virtually no stone unturned.
Soon, the corpse troopers began to check in.
"Nothing here."
"No clues at all!"
"Nobody here…."
After all 3,000 corpse troopers gave their reports, Zhou Yixing nervously approached Bai Xiaochun, lowered his voice, and said, "Milord, we weren't able to find any clues at all…. We checked all the shops and all the people…. Nobody even saw that soul…. We looked especially closely at those shops over there…."
The more Zhou Yixing spoke, the softer his voice got, until he trailed off nervously and bowed his head.
As of this moment, all of the happiness and glory that Bai Xiaochun had felt were gone, replaced by intense coldness and bitter madness.
And of course, he blamed himself. His best guess was that someone had come to suspect his identity, and had taken Bai Hao in an attempt to get evidence. He also felt guilty; if he hadn't been so distracted and negligent, he wouldn't have failed to provide Bai Hao with sufficient protection.
Most bitter of all was the realization that if he hadn't been so immersed in flame conjuring, he wouldn't have needed to send Bai Hao out to get souls.
"My apprentice… has done so much for me…." Bai Xiaochun's heart hurt, and it was impossible to keep his emotions under control. He could not comfort himself, and could not even breathe steadily. It was very obvious that this was not just some random misunderstanding, and yet, he had no idea who exactly was targeting him.
With that, he took out his Inspections Manor command medallion and used its special ability to check the records of Arch-Emperor City going back several months.
However, no amount of searching produced any clues. The Inspections Manor had access to all of the intelligence reports in the entire city, and yet… he found nothing helpful.
After all, the Inspections Manor would usually have clues build up after an event occurred, and Bai Hao had gone missing only moments ago. If the Inspections Manor did manage to get some clues, they would likely filter in through reports that would come in days later.
But Bai Xiaochun couldn't wait that long. Every breath of time that passed was a moment of danger for Bai Hao, and Bai Xiaochun knew that if he didn't rescue him, he would live in regret for the rest of his days.
Anxiety rising to maddening levels, Bai Xiaochun gritted his teeth and took out a transmission jade slip. For the first time since becoming the inspections commissioner… he took the initiative to contact the Giant Ghost King!
It wasn't that he hadn't thought to do so on previous occasions, or that he couldn't. It was just that, as the inspections commissioner working directly for the Grand Heavenmaster, it wasn't very appropriate for the two of them to have dealings. After all, the heavenly kings and the Grand Heavenmaster weren't exactly on good terms. However, he had never forgotten the feelings that had grown between them. And right now, Bai Xiaochun didn't care about the detriment of direct contact with the Giant Ghost King!
The events that had played out were too strange, and Bai Xiaochun simply couldn't come up with any ideas about what might have happened. And for some reason, he had the feeling… that considering not a single scrap of a clue had been left behind, he needed the help of someone with the experience and cultivation base of the Giant Ghost King. A demigod!
Back in the royal palace in Giant Ghost City, the Giant Ghost King was currently dining with Mrs. Chen. Even as the two of them laughed and chatted, he suddenly frowned and pulled out a jade slip.
Snorting, he transmitted his voice into the jade slip. "Well, if it isn't the exalted Inspections Commissioner Bai Hao. What could possibly have caused you to think of me today? If you have something important to say, spit it the hell out."
"Your Highness, I've run into some trouble…." As soon as Bai Xiaochun's hoarse, maddened voice reached the ears of the Giant Ghost King, his jaw dropped, and his expression turned serious.
"Calm down, you little brat. What happened. Tell me everything!" As the Giant Ghost King listened, his eyes began to glow, and intense pressure began to radiate off of him. Gradually, he rose to his feet and walked out onto a balcony overlooking the palace. A grim look could be seen in his eyes as he stood there for a moment, and then responded to Bai Xiaochun.
"No evidence. No fluctuations. No clues… Those three facts alone are very telling. I know what happened! A demigod made a move against you. It seems unlikely that it would be the Grand Heavenmaster. After all, if he wanted to do something to you, he wouldn't do so in such a complicated way. He could just wave his hand!
"However, considering that you're in Arch-Emperor City, the fact that the deed was done with such seamless perfection indicates that it wasn't just the work of a demigod. There must have been multiple clans working together to provide support…. That would be the only way to do it without leaving behind even the slightest evidence or clue!
"Bai Hao, you've offended so many people that I don't think even I can figure out who was behind it….
"But at the moment, the more you get involved in this situation, the worse it's going to get…. You're a smart person, Hao'er…. Why don't you just come back to Giant Ghost City? Leave that nest of vipers. Let's see who would dare to plot against you with me around!" Not once during his little speech did the Giant Ghost King ask why this particular soul slave was so important to Bai Xiaochun, or who the soul slave was….
He had no desire to know, and actually felt that being left in the dark about the matter was the best thing.
The Giant Ghost King's message caused a warm feeling to rise up in Bai Xiaochun's heart. However, he knew that if he went back to Giant Ghost City, that it would cause the hatred of all the nobility and aristocracy to fall upon the Giant Ghost King himself. That was something he didn't want to happen.
Furthermore, he couldn't just accept the fact that Bai Hao had gone missing. In fact, his killing intent only continued to grow stronger, and the intense coldness around him more biting.
"Hang in there, Hao'er," he said in his heart. "I don't care what storms arise because of it… Master is going to find you!!"
He swore this oath with the last bit of warmth that existed in his heart, after which it turned completely ice cold.
"I don't care who did this… even if it's a demigod. When I find out who it is… I'm going to exterminate their entire clan!!"
Without the slightest hesitation, he flew up into the air, followed by his corpse trooper army and Zhou Yixing. His destination was… the imperial palace!
Considering that this was a matter which affected all of Arch-Emperor City, the only person who could truly resolve it… was the Grand Heavenmaster!
Although Bai Xiaochun knew that the Grand Heavenmaster's stance toward him had changed recently, and that the Inspections Manor was actually relatively weak within the power structure, he currently had no other alternatives.
"The Grand Heavenmaster treated me well in the past. Perhaps all the things I worried about before are unfounded. Maybe he doesn't really want to get rid of me…."
A blood-colored glow could be seen in his eyes as he shot at top speed through the city toward the imperial palace. Upon arrival, he left most of the corpse troopers outside, and only took his Quasi-Deva Realm guard with him as he headed toward Heavenmaster Hall.
As of this moment, only two hours had passed since his connection to Bai Hao had been severed!
Most of that time had been wasted while the corpse troopers performed their search. Even still, Bai Xiaochun was reacting about as fast as was possible.
The Grand Heavenmaster wasn't alone in Heavenmaster Hall. He was joined by eight other individuals, who were seated in front of him, respectful expressions on their faces as they talked in low tones.
Two of them were heavenly dukes, with one being Chen Haosong, and the other a middle-aged man with a beautiful, flowing beard. Behind those two were six heavenly marquises.
Currently, the person speaking to the Grand Heavenmaster was none other than the beautifully bearded man.
"Grand Heavenmaster, the sects from the Heavenspan region have been particularly active this year. They've been building up forces along all four sections of the Great Wall…. According to the clues we've unearthed, and the information provided by our spies, we are certain that the Celestial from Heavenspan Island… is preparing for an assault the likes of which comes around only once in a thousand years!"
It was in this moment that Bai Xiaochun requested to see the Grand Heavenmaster.
The request was granted, and Bai Xiaochun entered the hall and stood off to the side. As for the bearded man, he glanced briefly at Bai Xiaochun, and the continued speaking to the Grand Heavenmaster.
"Although the four heavenly kings have their mission to defend the border lands, they can do more than just be a passive threat. They can actively cast fear into the hearts of the enemy! I would like to propose placing more emphasis on watching all four sections of the Great Wall. Furthermore, your humble servant hereby requests to go to the front lines on the northern section of the Great Wall to offer military consultation!"
The Grand Heavenmaster didn't respond at first. Instead, he looked over at Bai Xiaochun, whose murderous aura and bloodshot eyes made him seem very different from usual. The Grand Heavenmaster's brow furrowed….
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Chapter 786: Grand Heavenmaster, Your Humble Servant Has A Plan!
The Grand Heavenmaster looked away from Bai Xiaochun and coolly said, "We'll discuss your request in a moment."
When the bearded man heard that, he held his tongue and looked over at Chen Haosong.
Heavenmaster Hall was very quiet. At this point, Bai Xiaochun looked up, took a deep breath, and prepared to speak. However, the Grand Heavenmaster didn't let him.
Looking over at Chen Haosong, he said, "Heavenly Duke Chen, did you also come to speak about the Great Wall?"
Chen Haosong's expression was the same as ever as he took a few steps forward, clasped hands and bowed.
"Grand Heavenmaster, the situation at the Great Wall is urgent. The slightest unexpected circumstance there would have grave ramifications in the Wildlands. I also believe that we should beef up the defenses. We need to send more soul cultivators and more necromancers to hold the line!
"However, an effort like that would require much soul medicine and other resources. Grand Heavenmaster, would you please consider granting permission for this? Furthermore, I would also be willing to go to the front lines to supervise the war effort!" With that, he clasped hands and bowed again.
Considering that two heavenly dukes were essentially offering the same advice, even the Grand Heavenmaster would need to take it seriously.
"How much in terms of resources?"
Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Haosong said, "8,000,000,000 portions of soul medicine, as well as roughly 1,000,000,000 other items necessary for routine cultivation and spell formation construction. With those resources, I am confident in being able to prevent the Heavenspan River cultivators from taking even a single step into the Wildlands!"
No expression could be seen on the face of the Grand Heavenmaster, although he happened to be tapping the arm of his throne with his index finger. Inwardly, he was feeling very angry. The amount of resources being requested to shore up the defensive lines was much more than usual.
And yet, there was little the Grand Heavenmaster could do about that. Even though much of the aristocracy was loyal to him, everyone had their own personal ambitions, and wanted to further the glory and honor of their clan. That was why war efforts always involved significant expenditure, and also one reason that the Grand Heavenmaster couldn't outright forbid the clans from accumulating wealth.
Again, Heavenmaster Hall fell into silence. Nobody spoke. Even Bai Xiaochun could tell what the Grand Heavenmaster was thinking, that the resources being requested were vast. On any other occasion, he would have been shocked to hear such numbers, but right now, he was so worried about Bai Hao that he didn't have time to think about the matter. Furthermore, every moment that ticked by meant more danger for his apprentice.
However, he could also tell that, to the Grand Heavenmaster, the matters at hand were more important than requests from himself. He couldn't just interrupt. In fact, doing so would most likely make things worse.
He could only hope that the current discussion would be wrapped up as quickly as possible, after which he could ask for the Grand Heavenmaster's help.
Countless thoughts ran through Bai Xiaochun's mind, and because of his worry and anxiety, he didn't even notice that the Grand Heavenmaster had turned to look at him.
The Grand Heavenmaster could tell that Bai Xiaochun was very anxious, and that he clearly had some important matter he wished to discuss. At this point, his eyes glittered, and an expression of displeasure appeared on his face.
"From the moment you arrived, Bai Hao, it was clear that you had some urgent matter on your mind. Could it be that the Inspections Manor has come up with some important new evidence?"
Shaken, Chen Haosong and everyone else in the room looked over at Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun could hardly breathe as he stood there and looked back at the Grand Heavenmaster. The clear displeasure in the Grand Heavenmaster's gaze shattered any notions within Bai Xiaochun that the the man wasn't interested in discarding him. Heart trembling, he decided that since things were bad, he would just have to hope to get lucky.
"Grand Heavenmaster, this matter doesn't have to do with the Inspections Manor. Your humble ser--"
Before he could say anything further, the Grand Heavenmaster waved his hand to interrupt. "Since it's not an Inspections Manor matter, then keep it to yourself."
His words struck Bai Xiaochun like lightning, causing his mind to reel. What little bit of hope had existed in his heart was washed away with bitterness. Although he had long since come to suspect that the Grand Heavenmaster's attitude had changed, to have that suspicion confirmed still caused him to shiver inwardly.
"If you want to get rid of me, fine, but you don't have to be so obvious about it…." At this point, it was clear that he wouldn't be getting any help from the Grand Heavenmaster in the matter of Bai Hao's disappearance.
As for the two heavenly dukes present, their eyes flickered in response to the Grand Heavenmaster's words, and Chen Haosong even smiled coldly.
From what he could tell, the Grand Heavenmaster was sending a clear message here that his previous tool was about to be discarded.
Various expressions could be seen on the faces of the six heavenly marquises, and all of them were chuckling coldly in their hearts. From what they could tell, it was obvious that this Bao Hao was about to be discarded, which would be cause of rejoicing for all of the nobility and aristocracy.
They were all very familiar with the Grand Heavenmaster, and knew that Bai Xiaochun was now like a rowboat in a stormy sea, who could capsize and sink at any moment.
What was occurring right now only provided more evidence of that very fact.
"Bai Hao's days are definitely numbered!"
"It seems he will suffer a much different fate than the last inspections commissioner, Hei Ming…. Let's see if he knows his place. If he's smart, he'll simply resign, and hope that the Grand Heavenmaster gives him a chance to live. If he continues to serve as the inspections commissioner, then he'll definitely end up dead!"
"Hmph. Even if he does resign, the Grand Heavenmaster won't just let him go. He's offended too many people. Everybody wants him dead! Without the inspections commissioner title to protect him, he'll be killed beyond the shadow of a doubt!"
Everyone in the hall was thinking something different, but all of them were looking at the situation with coldness. Although Bai Xiaochun couldn't see it in their eyes, he knew their general attitude.
He was having trouble breathing smoothly, and his eyes were completely bloodshot. Anxiety and worry regarding Bai Hao had completely consumed him. It was only made worse by thoughts of what would happen if his identity were revealed. And then there was the sudden change in the Grand Heavenmaster's stance.
Furthermore, it seemed obvious that news of what had just happened would rapidly spread through Arch-Emperor City. Soon, all of the nobility and aristocracy would know. Before long, their fear of him would diminish, and they would begin to test and challenge him. It wouldn't take long before he would have no way to make it out of the situation alive.
By now, it was obvious why people had felt confident enough to make a move on Bai Hao. Obviously, they had guessed that the Grand Heavenmaster planned to get rid of his inspections commissioner.
If he didn't do something about the situation, then when the people who had taken Bai Hao learned of it, whatever fear they still felt would vanish. Bai Hao's situation would be more hopeless than ever, and Bai Xiaochun would be in extreme danger.
If he wanted to save Bai Hao, he had to stabilize his position. He needed even more power than before. Only then could he strike fear into the hearts of Bai Hao's captors, and at the same time, use his newfound power to get the clues he needed!
Everything revolved around the Grand Heavenmaster. No matter how he did it, he had to convince the Grand Heavenmaster not to get rid of him. And more than that, he needed to make himself more important!
Only then would he have a chance!
"You people are forcing me to do this!" he thought, gritting his teeth as he stood there trembling. At this point, he had to throw caution to the wind. He had to flip the table over! It was now time to follow the plan Bai Hao himself had come up with when Bai Xiaochun had first been appointed to be the inspections commissioner!
Bai Hao had come up with the plan based on speculations regarding what the Grand Heavenmaster would eventually do. Now, the Grand Heavenmaster was doing just that. In the past, Bai Xiaochun had felt the plan to be too ruthless.
After all, whatever killing intent the nobility and aristocracy felt toward him right now was only temporary, and would likely fade as the years went by. But if he went through with Bai Hao's plan, then the nobles and aristocrats would hate him for the rest of their lives. It would be a hatred that seeped down into their bones, and even their souls!
That was why he had always hesitated to go through with it. But right now, he needed to be more important to the Grand Heavenmaster than ever. And he had to find Bai Hao! And since he couldn't do it by himself, he needed the help of a benefactor. The Grand Heavenmaster! Furthermore, he needed the help of numerous people throughout the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, people who would act as his agents among all of the various clans.
He needed to know about everything that happened in all of the clans. Only then could his investigation produce the results he needed, and reveal the party who had captured Bai Hao!
Having reached this point in his train of thought, he took a deep breath. Eyes bloodshot, he took a step forward in the direction of the Grand Heavenmaster. Clasping hands and bowing deeply, he spoke in the coldest, most sinister of voices.
"Grand Heavenmaster, your humble servant came here today because I have a plan. A plan to solve all of your problems!"
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Chapter 787: Vicious Plan Of The Bastards!
In response to Bai Xiaochun's words, all eyes in Heavenmaster Hall shifted to focus on him. The six heavenly marquises were clearly taken by surprise, and all of a sudden, they realized that Bai Xiaochun was the epitome of ruthlessness. Maybe he was a toothless tiger, but even still, he left them feeling very unsettled.
Chen Haosong and the beautifully bearded heavenly duke were visibly displeased, and their hearts were beginning to pound.
The grand heavenmaster looked over at Bai Xiaochun. When it came to his plan to cast him aside, it wasn't the cause of even an iota of guilt within him. As far as he was concerned, everyone in heaven and earth was a pawn to be used at his leisure, and could be classified into only two types: useful, and not useful.
Before, this Bai Hao had been a useful tool. Now, he was not very useful. Of course, he hadn't planned to kill him. Furthermore, the fact that he wasn't useful at the moment didn't outweigh the fact that he was important to both the Hell-Emperor and the Giant Ghost King. As such, he knew that he could potentially be made useful again later.
Furthermore, the words he had just spoken immediately sparked the grand heavenmaster's interest. After all, he had not forgotten that Bai Xiaochun was the one who came up with the plan carried out during the ancestral sacrifices!
"Grand Heavenmaster," Bai Xiaochun continued in a near growl, "your humble servant's plan is the type which should not be made privy to too many people who are not part of it."
Smiling, the grand heavenmaster waved his hand, and before the six heavenly marquises could react, they began to fade away, and were soon gone, removed to a location outside the imperial palace.
Unsightly expressions could be seen on their faces as they exchanged glances and then snorted coldly.
"He's bluffing, that's all it is. It seems this Bai Hao just won't give up!"
"Hmph! Struggling all the way into the grave! Well, the more he does that, the worse off he'll be!"
Meanwhile, back in Heavenmaster Hall, the grand heavenmaster's expression was exactly the same as before as he said, "Go ahead."
Other than he and Bai Xiaochun, the only people present were Chen Haosong and the bearded heavenly duke, who stood there motionless as they looked at Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun's eyes glittered as he looked over at the two heavenly dukes. As of this moment, he knew for sure that these two were trusted confidantes of the grand heavenmaster.
"Who would have thought that Chen Haosong is actually a close adviser to the grand heavenmaster…." His brow furrowed slightly as he thought back to everything he knew about Chen Haosong. Something about the whole situation seemed off, but there wasn't time to ponder the situation right now.
Sighing softly, he looked at the grand heavenmaster and continued, "Your humble servant disagrees with Heavenly Duke Chen about what should be the priority right now!!"
Immediately, the grand heavenmaster's eyes flickered, and the gazes of the two heavenly dukes turned sharper than ever.
"According to the traditions of the dynasty, there are 108 heavenly marquises, ten heavenly dukes, and four heavenly kings…. They are hereditary positions held in perpetuity, meaning that if a heavenly marquis dies, then as long as his clan isn't exterminated, or some other drastic situations arise, then there is virtually no chance of someone outside of that clan taking on his mantle. Furthermore, only a direct descendant of the previous heavenly marquis can succeed him!" Bai Xiaochun spoke in an icy cold voice, and his eyes were both bloodshot and ruthless-looking. At the moment, he had decided to throw caution to the wind. Because he had no suspects in the disappearance of Bai Hao, he currently had to be suspicious of everyone!
"Even if there are no suitable successors because of cultivation base issues, the position will still remain with that bloodline, and they will simply wait for an appropriate person to rise up!
"That is why all heavenly marquises select their successors long in advance, and only from the direct bloodline of their clan. Special attention is given to that person in their cultivation, so that they can be groomed to be the perfect successor!
"That is how the arrangement works for heavenly marquises, and it's the same with the heavenly dukes and heavenly kings!" Bai Xiaochun spoke with decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron, and the grand heavenmaster listened with rapt attention. Clearly, he was very interested to hear what was to be said next.
Chen Haosong and the bearded heavenly duke were frowning, and were clearly completely in the dark about what Bai Xiaochun was getting at.
Flicking his sleeve, Bai Xiaochun raised his voice and continued speaking at a breakneck speed. "Because of this tradition, there are a bit more than a hundred clans who have an eternal place within the dynasty. Furthermore, they only grow more powerful as time passes, and accumulate staggering amounts of wealth!
"That wealth is the true source of their power, and their confidence! It is the foundation of everything! As long as everything goes their way, things are smooth. But with the right spark, they could erupt into violence with the resources of a whole nation at their disposal!
"In fact, if drastic upheavals ever struck the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, and more than one hundred such clans joined forces, their profound resources would make them far too powerful!"
At this point, Chen Haosong realized what was going on. Eyes cold, he said, "Shut your mouth, Bai Hao. This is complete and utter hogwash!
"Perhaps the heavenly kings are exceptions, but the heavenly marquises and heavenly dukes run huge clans! They have to take care of every clan member, and make sure they have sufficient battle prowess, not for themselves, and not to rise up as independent forces, but as the reserve power of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty!
"In fact, you have simply no idea how expensive it is to take care of a clan and increase its battle prowess. And that's all to maintain the reserve powers of the dynasty!" As far as he was concerned, what Bai Xiaochun was currently saying was very dangerous.
"I don't know?" Bai Xiaochun said, looking over at him. Although Bai Xiaochun generally feared death, and was usually a coward, he knew that now was not the time to fall back on such tendencies.
"I think there are probably few people in the Arch-Emperor Dynasty who know more than I do about such things. How many clans have you shaken down, Heavenly Duke Chen? And how many have I?
"Do you know how much wealth I saw in each of those shakedowns? How much reserve savings?
"Well let me tell you. In fact, I'll spell it out very, very clearly. I've shaken down eighteen heavenly marquis clans!! And you know what? Every single one of those clans had amassed wealth that could only be described as sufficient to shake heaven and earth!
"The Li Clan had saved up 1,000,000,000 portions of soul medicine, 279 soulgrounds, and 1,000 inactive large-scale spell formations. And how about the Chen Clan? 2,000,000,000 portions of soul medicine! That alone could fund thirty percent of the military expenditures you just referred to, Heavenly Duke Chen! Can you imagine how many cultivators it would take to use up that many resources?
"In the third wave of shakedowns, the clan of Heavenly Marquis Gongsun Dao turned out to have hundreds of thousands of sets of materials to create spell formations! Plus, they had 10,000,000 soul bombs! If those bombs detonated, they could destroy most of Arch-Emperor City!
"If the heavenly marquis clans are like that, then what do you think the heavenly dukes' are like?! In this matter, I will not be shutting my mouth. You will!" By the time he finished speaking, he was yelling. Chen Haosong's chest heaved as he glared angrily at him, and yet, he was incapable of offering a retort. As for the grand heavenmaster, he simply sat there quietly, looking at Bai Xiaochun with shining eyes.
The one to speak next was the bearded heavenly duke. "Even if the heavenly marquis clans have deep reserve savings and power, Bai Hao, that only goes to show how strong the Arch-Emperor Dynasty is. One of the main reasons the Celestial can't invade us easily is because of how intrepid and valiant we are. The resources we have help us groom our successors, and pass on their strength from generation to generation. They protect the glory of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, and also ensure that there are only 108 heavenly marquises! In fact, that is also why the number of heavenly dukes and kings is limited!
"When you have a sharp blade, you keep it that way, you don't grind it down until it's dull!"
Bai Xiaochun waved his hand dismissively at the two heavenly dukes. Focusing on the grand heavenmaster, he said, "Wrong! I believe that the most important principle in the world is fairness. Fairness is the only way to ensure the continued growth of the dynasty. That is the only way to guarantee that a dynasty can stand strong and tall!
"Why do these clans only view their certain heirs as important? Why do those heirs get all the resources? Why are other children of the clan so vastly unimportant? It's not fair to the other children, and it's especially unfair to the bastards!
"Why is only a designated successor allowed to take over for a dead heavenly marquis, and thus control the wealth of the clan? It's simply not fair to both the other members of the direct bloodline, and the bastard children!
"Therefore, I suggest… that the wealth of the clans that make up the aristocracy be equally distributed…. Give that wealth to all heirs, regardless of their status in the bloodline, and regardless of whether or not they are bastards. Everyone should have the chance to become a successor, and everyone should have an equal share of the resources!
"Heavenly marquises. Heavenly dukes. Heavenly kings…. Their wealth and resources should be equally divided among all their children!
"That would be a gift to the people, and grace to the commoners. Only in that way can the Arch-Emperor Dynasty grow stronger than ever. I hope that in the future, we won't just have 108 heavenly marquises. I hope that we will have many more. And more heavenly dukes too!
"At the same time, everyone will proclaim the glory of the grand heavenmaster, thank him eternally, and offer oaths of unending loyalty!!" As his voice echoed out with thunderous volume in Heavenmaster Hall, Bai Xiaochun flicked his sleeve to add emphasis to his words.
This was… a truly vicious plan!!
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Chapter 788: Proclamation of Universal Grace!
It was a vicious plan through and through!!
In fact, it was vicious to a completely shocking degree, to a level that would leave many people bristling with anger. Chen Haosong felt like his heart was being struck by hundreds of thousands of lightning bolts. Face falling, he actually staggered slightly as he stood there.
"Grand Heavenmaster, you mustn't do such a thing!!" he said, trembling. He had many heirs, and if this plan were carried out, it could shatter his entire clan!
Furthermore, nobody would be able to revolt against the Grand Heavenmaster because of it. After all, he wouldn't be the one to take away the resources! The chaos which would result in each and every clan would force them all to do everything in their power just to remain stable!
In the end, it would essentially take all the biggest clans and reduce them to dozens of smaller clans!
With no clans able to maintain a dominant position, it would be hard to even state what the political situation would be in the years to come. Chen Haosong didn't even dare to think about it.
"This Bai Hao is completely ruthless!" he cursed inwardly. "Why won't he just go and die already!?!?"
This vicious plan was clearly an extenuation of the shakedowns. However, the ones to be shaking down the clans wouldn't be Bai Xiaochun, it would be the children in the clans, and those people in the clan who were loyal to them!!
Bai Xiaochun was asking to hand a sharp blade to the bastard sons and the members of the direct bloodlines who had no right of succession. Then he would have them raise that blade up over the heads of the clan as a whole!
It was a very crafty plan. It would sow chaos within all of the nobility and aristocracy by turning the clans on themselves internally. The people who currently held power would be badly burned, and no one else….
After all, all of the children were members of the direct bloodline, and carried the requisite blood of the clan. Short of exterminating all descendents, any given marquis, duke, or king would be incapable of smoothly resolving all of the resulting conflicts.
Contrariwise, it would be a boon to the bastard sons and other children with no right of succession. Although such people normally did get access to better cultivation resources than the average cultivator, it was nothing compared to the true successors. For the most part, they only slightly benefited from the vast wealth of their clans.
But if this plan were to be carried out, everything would change…. Everyone would have equal access to the wealth, successors, non-successors, and bastards alike!
How could people like Chen Haosong not go mad!? How could they not be passionately opposed to it? Of course, unluckiest of all… were the current appointed successors!
They would be suffering catastrophic blows, and their futures would essentially be ruined! One could only imagine how much they would hate Bai Xiaochun. Whatever hatred they already felt would increase exponentially, and would permeate their very marrow.
As for the people currently in power, they would be skating on even thinner ice. All of the wealth they had worked so hard to build up, all of their savings, would be divided up in the clan. It would make it impossible for them to say if they could continue to bask in their previous glory.
On top of that, such people would then be forced to watch helplessly as their chosen successor squabbled and fought with the other children. Their hatred for Bai Xiaochun would reach towering heights, to the point where they would desire nothing more than to drink his blood, dine on his flesh, and crush his bones to bits.
Before, Bai Xiaochun had been a dangerous knife that could be directed at anyone, which was why everyone had wanted him dead. But now, that knife was threatening everyone!
"This is complete insanity!!" the bearded heavenly duke said, chills running up and down his spine. Although he was loyal to the Grand Heavenmaster, the mere thought of how terrifying this plan was left him in utter terror of Bai Xiaochun!
Scalp tingling in fear, he clasped hands toward the Grand Heavenmaster and bowed deeply. "Grand Heavenmaster, you mustn't do such a thing!"
As for the Grand Heavenmaster, he sat there in his throne, breathing unsteadily, which was a rare thing. As he looked at Bai Xiaochun, his eyes shone with brilliant light.
Never could he have anticipated that Bai Xiaochun would come up with a plan like this. From beginning to end, he had explained everything in perfect detail. As far as the Grand Heavenmaster was concerned, there was no downside. And the upsides… virtually defied description. It was a plot that was tailor-made for him!
Although it wouldn't necessarily resolve the issues of the military expenditures, it would solve the crux of the issue. The greed of the nobility and aristocracy would be ended. Furthermore, any profits they made in the future would be evenly distributed, which would lead to the overall strengthening of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty as a whole. Plus, everyone who benefited from the new arrangement would be deeply loyal to the Grand Heavenmaster, who would be the source of everything they had gained!
At the same time, it would prevent any one clan from becoming so powerful that they could eventually threaten his position!
The Grand Heavenmaster's eyes were shining brightly. Before, the only use he had found in Bai Xiaochun was how he caused a big scene, striking fear into the aristocracy, and forcing the Arch-Emperor to go into secluded meditation. He had also pushed the Grand Heavenmaster to the peak of his current power.
But now, he thought back to all of the wealth Bai Xiaochun had sent to him during the clan shakedowns, and immediately understood the main point of the argument. And then, the gears in his head started to turn.
Now that he thought about it, the reserve savings of these clans… really were inappropriately large. He also understood that the very extreme circumstances in which he had exterminated eighteen heavenly marquises recently were very unique. At any other time, they would likely have led to a rebellion.
Furthermore, taking out eighteen heavenly marquises was the limit of what he was capable of. If he continued on with such action, it would lead to complete revolt.
That was another reason why he had been contemplating expelling Bai Xiaochun: to sate the anger of the masses.
But the plan which had just been presented was flawless. He didn't have to take any risks, and would come out victorious without ever having to fight. He could dismantle the aristocracy with almost no effort.
If the plan were carried out, not only would people be unable to use it as an excuse to revolt, but most people would be delighted by it. Just as Bai Xiaochun had said, their profound gratitude would be given to the person who had given them the biggest chance of their lifetimes, the Grand Heavenmaster! Supporting him would be the same as safeguarding themselves!
As for the possibility of some unknown factors coming into play, the Grand Heavenmaster was confident in being able to handle them.
With such thoughts on his mind, the Grand Heavenmaster looked at Bai Xiaochun, his eyes shining with praise. As of this moment, he realized that his previous plan of getting rid of Bai Xiaochun didn't make much sense. He was a rare genius!
He could cut down the enemy, handle important matters, and put good plans and ideas forward!
His heart was beginning to pound, and soon, he simply couldn't cover up his pleasure. He began to laugh uproariously, a laughter which filled the two heavenly dukes with incredible terror.
"Grand Heavenmaster, you mustn't do such a thing!"
"Please reconsider, Grand Heavenmaster!!"
Bai Xiaochun completely ignored the two heavenly dukes, and focused completely on the Grand Heavenmaster. And when he saw the praise in the man's eyes, and heard his laughter, he breathed a sigh of relief.
He also knew… that not only had he resolved a major crisis, he had also pushed himself to new heights of power!
And yet, he felt no joy. His heart was still as cold as eyes, and his murderous aura continued to grow stronger.
"Just hold on a little bit longer, Hao'er…."
Laughing, the Grand Heavenmaster ignored the two heavenly dukes and turned to Bai Xiaochun. "A blessing for all living creatures. Divine kindness from above! From the mortals to the nobles, Wildlander clans will no longer be divided by age or bloodline. All wealth will be evenly distributed! Call it a Proclamation of Universal Grace!
"This is a wonderful thing for the Arch-Emperor Dynasty. In fact, I will support the new arrangement myself. Let it begin in Heavenmaster Manor, and spread to fill the entire dynasty. Heavenly marquises. Heavenly dukes. Heavenly kings. All will comply!" Continuing to laugh heartily, the Grand Heavenmaster rose excitedly from his throne.
"Bai Hao, hear my command!" he said, waving his hand dramatically.
"Your humble servant awaits his orders!" Bai Xiaochun said decisively.
"Henceforth, you will command 5,000 troops in your role as inspections commissioner. You will also be responsible for enforcing the Proclamation of Universal Grace. Take your leave and get to work!" With that, he flicked his sleeve, causing Bai Xiaochun and Chen Haosong to fade away from Heavenmaster Hall.
Only the bearded heavenly duke remained behind, frowning and sighing bitterly. He knew that there was no way to change what was happening, and that the plan was actually perfectly suited for the Grand Heavenmaster.
Taking a few steps forward, he clasped hands and bowed.
"Grand Heavenmaster, you can't leave that kid alive. He's truly venomous, a clan-reviling brute! First was the matter with the ancestral sacrifices, and now this…. The nobility and aristocracy all hate him! Even I can't help but feel coldness in my heart!
"Furthermore, there are some questions about his identity. I think there is a strong chance… that he's actually Bai Xiaochun!! His heart truly knows no bounds when it comes to evil!" Clearly, this bearded heavenly duke had truly been frightened by Bai Xiaochun's plan.
"There are going to be a lot of people who support this new arrangement. The bastard sons and auxiliary bloodline cultivators are going to go wild with joy. The worst off of all will be the arrogant heirs apparent, and the chosen who already have a problem with him. He's basically killing them by proxy!"
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Chapter 789: Silver-Armored Corpse Trooper
The Grand Heavenmaster smiled, and a profound gleam appeared in his eyes. "This isn't a matter of him getting someone else to do his dirty work for him. He's going crazy trying to find his soul slave!"
"Soul slave?" the bearded heavenly duke said in surprise.
"Someone just captured that soul slave of his. Whoever it was knew how to do it in just the right way so that I wouldn't notice in time. Furthermore, no evidence was left behind…."
The bearded heavenly duke was clearly stunned.
"Go look into who did it." The Grand Heavenmaster knew that whoever had done the deed had planned on him not interfering. And the truth was that, before Bai Xiaochun revealed his plan, he wouldn't have. But now he was hesitating.
The bearded duke hesitated for only a short moment. "I suspect that only those four would be able to do something like this. Your humble servant… will look into it immediately!" He paused, then added, "However, I still think Bai Hao is a ruthless schemer who must not be left alive!"
"You're only looking at things on the surface," the Grand Heavenmaster said with a profoundly intelligent smile. "The Giant Ghost King only has a single daughter, and therefore, Bai Hao's plan won't affect him. The fact that his plan protects the Giant Ghost King shows that he knows how to be grateful!
"If he was the completely ungrateful type, I wouldn't dare to use him. However, considering that he is, I think I'll bless him just the same as the Giant Ghost King has! If he follows the Giant Ghost King, his prospects will be limited. But if he follows me, he will have no such limitations!
"He is definitely a ruthless dagger, but the important thing is that I hold him in my hand. The Giant Ghost King doesn't qualify, only I do.
"The Giant Ghost King tried to get him together with Zhou Zimo, right? Well, he likes Chen Manyao, so if he manages this upcoming affair properly, then I'll give him her hand! Afterward, he can become my stepson!" Although the Grand Heavenmaster did not speak in a loud voice, there was something profoundly meaningful to his words. In response, the bearded heavenly duke simply voiced his assent and left.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun had appeared outside of the imperial palace, a very grim look on his face, his eyes shining with cold light, and his murderous aura seething. He looked like he had gone mad, and was now so tightly wound that he seemed ready to snap and kill someone at a moment's notice.
He sent out a thought, which caused his army of corpse troopers to fly over, along with Zhou Yixing, who was feeling very apprehensive. It was without a single word that he followed Bai Xiaochun all the way back to the Inspections Manor.
He reached the place with blinding speed, and instead of descending and landing inside, he hovered in the air above it and pulled out his command medallion. After sending some divine sense into it, an image of the area below the manor appeared in his mind.
He saw more than 90,000 coffins, all of them visible in complete detail, and surrounded by a sinister and cold aura.
Without the slightest hesitation, he sent his divine sense sweeping over them, selecting 2,000 and saying to them, "Awaken!"
RUUUUUUUUMBLE!
The intense sounds which erupted out from the manor caused the ground to shake and the sky to flash with bright colors. Virtually all of the soul cultivators in the area could feel what was happening.
"Something is happening at the Inspections Manor again!?"
"What… what is that black cloud?!?!"
"Heavens! I can't believe that so many coffins are visible! How is this even possible?! Isn't everybody talking about how Bai Hao is in big trouble?!?!"
Amidst the resulting commotion, quite a few people flew up into the air and saw what looked like a black cloud above the Inspections Manor, radiating a shocking murderous aura.
Even as everything in the area shook, the coffins began to swirl about through the air.
There were 2,000 of them, a shocking sight, and yet things weren't over yet. At this point, the coffins began to open up, and numerous black-armored corpse troopers emerged from within them.
Especially noteworthy was the fact that five of the coffins were unique. All of them had ornate designs on them, and as for the last of that group, it was a different color: silver!!
From within the first four of those coffins emerged… hulking, black-armored corpse troopers who had half-deva cultivation bases!
Most shocking, though, was the figure which emerged from the silver coffin, a middle-aged soul cultivator… with silver armor!
Just like all the other corpse troopers, his face was completely expressionless, and he was surrounded by a shockingly cold air. However, as soon as he opened his eyes, thunder crackled in the air above, and the fluctuations of a deva erupted out from him.
At the same time, the command medallion in Bai Xiaochun's hand vibrated a few times. There was something completely obstinate and unyielding about this silver-armored warrior that the command medallion instantly identified and connected with.
As the deva fluctuations erupted out, the burly man's murderous aura erupted out, and it was so strong that it immediately caused the other roughly 5,000 corpse troopers to tremble, as if they were matchlessly weak.
As for the nine half-deva corpse troopers, they were also trembling. The only one who didn't was that one corpse trooper who always accompanied Bai Xiaochun. As he looked up, his eyes shone with a strange light, and he also erupted with the shocking fluctuations of a deva. Clearly, he and the silver-armored corpse trooper were equally matched!
Everyone who saw that gasped and was completely taken aback!
"Heavens! He has two deva corpse troopers, nine half-devas, and an army 5,000 strong!!"
"Dammit! Whoever was just saying that Bai Hao is in trouble was obviously just trying to start rumors! He's not in any trouble. He's gotten more powerful than ever!!"
"He's already at the same level as the previous inspections commissioner, Hei Ming! 5,000 corpse troopers…."
"That's the same level of power as the four heavenly kings and the Grand Heavenmaster! Bai Hao is the number one figure under the Demigod Realm!!"
Shocked, people began to take out jade slips to spread the news. Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun hovered in the air above the Inspections Manor, looking at the two most powerful corpse troopers facing off. Clearly, the silver-armored corpse trooper didn't want to be controlled. Under normal circumstances, Bai Xiaochun might have been inclined to talk things over, and maybe figure out another way to get the silver-armored corpse trooper to submit.
But right now, he was in a very bad mood, and was in the grips of madness. The silver-armored corpse trooper's obstinacy only served to get on Bai Xiaochun's nerves. Eyes growing colder, he reached out and pointed at the corpse trooper.
Instantly, his Quasi-Deva Realm corpse trooper burst into action, as did his nine half-deva troopers, murderous auras raging as they attacked the silver-armored corpse trooper.
Of course, that wasn't enough. The rest of the 5,000-man-strong army all howled as they attacked along with the others.
Rumbling booms immediately filled the air. At the moment, it didn't matter that the silver-armored corpse trooper was a deva, he could only last for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, whereupon he slammed down into the ground. At first, he still seemed defiant, but the most powerful of the black-armored corpse troopers bashed him with another divine ability, whereupon he shivered and finally showed compliance.
With that, Bai Xiaochun flicked his sleeve and paid no more heed to the matters of the corpse troopers. Flickering into motion, he headed into his secluded meditation chamber, where he sat down cross-legged and closed his eyes.
He was waiting for the official announcement of the Proclamation of Universal Grace!
From what he could guess, it wouldn't be much more than a few hours before that happened. The Proclamation of Universal Grace… would definitely shake the entire city, and quickly shock all of the nobility and aristocracy in the Wildlands!
Furthermore, the news that he had 2,000 additional corpse troopers had been witnessed by many people in the area of the Inspections Manor, and as they began to spread the news, all of the aristocracy in the city heard.
"Wait a second…. What happened? How could this have happened?!"
"I thought he was in trouble and couldn't defend himself! As it turns out, he's as aggressive as ever! Something fishy is going on!"
"Why do I suddenly have a very, very bad feeling?!?!"
"Something big is about to happen!!!"
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Chapter 790: Universal Grace Begins!
The appearance of a whole new group of corpse troopers in the Inspections Manor was a source of complete shock to many people, especially the nobility and aristocracy, among whom numerous speculations began to run wild.
"This doesn't make sense…."
"Bai Hao is supposed to be stuck in an inescapable quagmire!"
"The only option he had was to resign as the inspections commissioner…. But now, he's not only fine, he's actually stronger than before!"
Everyone in Arch-Emperor City was completely shaken, and the nobility and aristocracy immediately poured all the resources they could into investigating what was happening. That was especially true of the leaders of the various clans who had banded together to capture Bai Hao.
Although they felt like something was off about the situation, they could find no explanation. Furthermore, they didn't dare to make too much of a scene, and could thus only wait, stewing in their speculations until the truth came to light.
The chosen who had been in conflict with Bai Xiaochun were all grinding their teeth furiously that he had unexpectedly extricated himself from a deadly situation, and even come out stronger than before.
"How come he's not dead!?!?"
"It must be a bluff!"
Virtually all of those chosen soul cultivators were from the direct bloodlines of various important clans, and many of them were the successors selected by the older members of the clan. They were the very ones who had access to vast amounts of cultivation resources, and had thus reached their current level of cultivation.
There were many bastards and other siblings and relatives who were eclipsed by their glory, people who were vastly separated from them both in terms of cultivation base and the resources they had access to.
Of course, such people were still members of great clans, and thus surpassed ordinary soul cultivators in most aspects. But in terms of cultivation resources, their only hope to truly benefit was to make sure they stuck closely to the chosen successors in the clans.
This had been the state of affairs in the aristocracy of the Wildlands for many generations. Although occasional situations arose in which people rebelled against their clan's arrangements, they usually suffered miserable fates.
When Zhao Dongshan heard the news about Bai Hao, he was in a courtyard in his clan. He was so angry that he lashed out at a nearby tree, which shattered into countless fragments that peppered other nearby members of the clan. However, none of them dared to dodge to the side, and merely stood there quietly.
Many of the people present were siblings of Zhao Dongshan, many of them bastards. Outside the clan, they could act in grand and domineering fashion, but inside the clan, they had to bow their heads and act fawningly to the successor, Zhao Dongshan.
At the moment, Zhao Dongshan's face was extremely grim, and his eyes burned with unyielding light.
"Bai Hao!!" he growled through gritted teeth. He feared Bai Hao, but even more so, was jealous of him. Bai Hao had trampled him underfoot from the Necromancer Kettle all the way to Arch-Emperor City. Furthermore, it had only been a few months since Bai Hao had forced him to offer formal greetings the way a junior would to a senior. His anger still burned hot because of that incident.
However, he could only suppress his killing intent in his heart, at least until Bai Hao was thoroughly and utterly defeated. After all, he couldn't ever forget the fate of Li Tiansheng.
"I refuse to believe that he'll remain in power forever!" Angrily flicking his sleeve, he looked around at those siblings of his who had been born out of formal wedlock. He was a fundamentally irritable person, and because he was the appointed successor in the clan, he often acted in overbearing fashion toward the other clan members.
"All of you line up. I want to do some sparring!" He immediately headed toward one of the younger members of the clan, who was a sibling of his. The young man's expression flickered, but he didn't dare to refuse to fight. However, almost as soon as he made a move, it was obvious that he wasn't a match for Zhao Dongshan. A boom rang out, and the young man tumbled backward, blood spraying out of his mouth.
The other clan members' expressions flickered, and their scalps tingled in fear. However, they had no choice in the matter. One by one, more booms and crashes could be heard as dozens of Zhao Clan cultivators were flung this way and that, coughing up blood.
"Useless trash, all of you!!" Zhao Dongshan shouted. Although his words angered all of the other clan members, they knew that he was venting his frustration, and that they had no option of resisting. They simply had to endure.
Zhao Dongshan was aware that they were only enduring because they had no other choice, and yet, he didn't care. He was the clan's successor, its future heavenly marquis. No matter how angry the other clan members got, they had to simply bow their heads, lest they be accused of rebellion.
Zhao Dongshan snorted coldly and prepared to vent a bit more frustration when, all of a sudden, a bright beam of light shot toward them from some distance away. It was none other than an old servant, who had an expression of alarm on his face, and was panting furiously, as though he had just experienced some terrifying ordeal.
He was actually preparing to fly right over Zhao Dongshan and head directly to the heavenly marquis pagoda. However, Zhao Dongshan frowned and shouted, "What's got you in such a hurry, Sun Fu? Some disaster or something?!"
The old man apparently didn't hear him, which led to no small amount of irritation on Zhao Dongshan's part. In fact, he waved his hand, causing a rumbling sound to fill the air as the old man was knocked out of the air. Blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth as he looked around, surprised. That was when he noticed Zhao Dongshan looking at him with a grim expression.
"Something big has happened, Crown Prince!!" the old man said in a shaky voice. "Everybody outside is talking about it…. The Grand Heavenmaster is about to issue a Dharmic decree, something called a Proclamation of Universal Grace. At its core… it will force all the clans to distribute their resources evenly among all the potential heirs in the clan…. It doesn't matter if you're a bastard or a non-successor, as long as you have the right blood in you, you'll be treated equally!!"
Zhao Dongshan felt completely and utterly thunderstruck. It seemed too incredulous to believe, so much so that he stepped forward and grabbed the old man. "What did you just say?!"
"I'm not making it up!" the old man said, shivering. "Everybody outside is talking about it…."
Zhao Dongshan was just about to start yelling again when, all of a sudden, the sound of bells could be heard from the imperial palace, ringing out to fill all of Arch-Emperor City.
Whenever those bells tolled, it meant something extremely important was happening.
As the bells tolled, a somber voice could be heard speaking, reaching the ears of everyone in the city!
"The founder of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty once said…
"That all living things should be treated equally….
"From this day forward, from the imperial court on down, the children of the clans, whether they be bastards or non-successors, will have equal access to the wealth and resources of their clans!
"A new golden age is about to begin for our imperial dynasty!"
Everyone who heard the words felt as though their hearts were leaping in their chests. Zhao Dongshan was gasping for breath, his eyes shining with disbelief as he stood there trembling, his mind a blank. All of a sudden, he looked around at all of his siblings.
Before, they had averted their gazes, but now, they looked back at him with blazing eyes. Zhao Dongshan recognized that fire… it was ambition!
"Impossible. This is completely impossible…." he said, shivering. Meanwhile, all of the other clans in Arch-Emperor City had descended into deathly silence. As for the heavenly marquises, their expressions flickered, and their minds felt like they were about to explode.
"This Proclamation of Universal Grace is going to be the end of the dynasty!!"
"This is absurd! What does the Grand Heavenmaster think he's doing!?!?"
"Dammit. Dammit! Whose idea was this? Why does this Proclamation of Universal Grace seem like just as vicious a plan as what happened on the day of ancestral sacrifices!?!?"
The immediate response to the Proclamation of Universal Grace was for Arch-Emperor City to go completely silent. But then, a huge commotion ensued. That was when the crushing demigod might of the Grand Heavenmaster descended from the imperial palace.
At the same time, the auras of five heavenly dukes joined the Grand Heavenmaster's to fill the city….
That was when Bai Xiaochun opened his eyes within his secluded meditation chamber in the Inspections Manor. Slowly rising to his feet, he took a step forward to appear in midair above the manor, his bloodshot eyes shining with cold light.
Swishing his sleeve, he loudly said, "Corpse troopers, assemble immediately…. The time has come to enforce the Proclamation of Universal Grace!"
As his voice rang out, all of his 5,000 corpse troopers flew over, murderous auras burning with intense power.
"We'll start with the heavenly marquis clans!" With that, he flew up into the air, followed by the corpse troopers. His first destination… the Zhao Clan!
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Chapter 791: This Bai Hao Is A Madman
The nobility and aristocracy in Arch-Emperor City were deeply shaken. Despite the fact that the Grand Heavenmaster and five heavenly dukes had unleashed incredible pressure, there were still other heavenly marquises and dukes who flew out of their clans and headed to the imperial palace to offer formal greetings to the Grand Heavenmaster.
As far as everyone was concerned, this Proclamation of Universal Grace was incredibly malevolent. Furthermore, everyone believed that it mustn't be allowed to stay in effect for very long. If it did…
The consequences would be unimaginable!
However, even as the heavenly marquises and dukes joined forces to head to the imperial palace, Bai Xiaochun was leading his army of fierce corpse troopers toward the Zhao Clan.
He was in a state of madness, moving at top speed, and thus, it didn't take long for his 5,000 corpse troopers to descend on the clan, surrounded by a black vortex that was their murderous aura.
Although the Zhao Clan seemed peaceful and quiet, the bastard children and non-successors of the bloodline couldn't have been more excited. After the Grand Heavenmaster's Dharmic decree came down, the ambitions they had forced to keep hidden for their entire lives suddenly blossomed, causing their hearts to race!
Everyone was to be treated equally! Everyone was to have fair access to resources!
It was a beautiful prospect that had everyone affected bursting with excitement. The only angry one was Zhao Dongshan, as he realized that the assets that were his inheritance by right would soon be divided up equally among everyone else.
Although he was furious to the point of going crazy, he didn't dare to go against the orders of the Grand Heavenmaster. All of his hopes rested with his father, who had gone to the imperial palace with the other heavenly marquises.
"This isn't a Proclamation of Universal Grace! It's Proclamation of Clan Shakedowns!!" As he stood there gritting his teeth, he glared around angrily at the bastards and auxiliary bloodline cultivators.
He was just starting to get restless from anger when Bai Xiaochun arrived. He hovered in the air above the clan, expression grim and eyes cold. With every moment that ticked by, his anxiety and madness grew stronger. All of the clan members down below who looked up at the black vortex of the corpse troopers' murderous aura were shocked. However, many of them had actually been waiting for Bai Xiaochun to show up, and were feeling more excited than ever.
They felt very differently from the last time Bai Xiaochun had come. As for Zhao Dongshan, he looked up, expression flickering, and prepared to speak. Before he could, though, Bai Xiaochun's cold voice rang out to fill the entire Zhao Clan.
"The Grand Heavenmaster has spoken. He has issued the Proclamation of Universal Grace, which all subjects of the dynasty are required to comply with, regardless of rank or status…. I have come here in my role as the inspections commissioner, to represent the Grand Heavenmaster in enforcing the proclamation!"
Numerous soft gasps could be heard in the clan, many of them filled with excitement. The bastard children and non-successors all looked on with brightly shining eyes.
Zhao Dongshan's face fell even further, and his eyes widened. "It was you!! Dammit. It was you! This vicious plan was yours all along! That's why you were able to consolidate your power with the Grand Heavenmaster!!"
Zhao Dongshan understood everything in an instant. After all, it wasn't a very difficult puzzle to solve. The recent stir from the Inspections Manor happened right before the Proclamation of Universal Grace was issued. The slightest amount of thought into the matter would reveal the underlying truth.
Zhao Dongshan's madness, and his previous hatred, made it so that he couldn't hold back from shouting. "Bai Hao, you'd--"
But he had picked the wrong time to react in such a way. The madness in Bai Xiaochun's own heart had reached the point that he could erupt with brutal violence at any moment.
"Hmm?" Bai Xiaochun said, a cold light flickering in his eyes. He took a step forward, vanishing and then reappearing right in front of Zhao Dongshan. Without the slightest hesitation, he then clenched his hand into a fist and punched out!
The fist strike seemed to be filled with all the fury that existed in his heart. It caused the air to vibrate and shatter, and although the shocked Zhao Dongshan tried to defend himself, his battle prowess was vastly inferior to Bai Xiaochun's. Blood sprayed out of his mouth as he was flung backward several hundred meters, where he slammed into a building that then collapsed on top of him.
Although some of the other nearby clan members had instinctually stepped forward to interfere, most of them subsequently stopped in place. Then, they simply watched with glittering eyes as Bai Xiaochun took another step forward, placing him right in the middle of the collapsed building, directly in front of Zhao Dongshan, who had been struggling out of the rubble. Zhao Dongshan's eyes went wide with terror at the realization that Bai Xiaochun had come after him again, and he immediately tried to back up.
But Bai Xiaochun was too fast. His hand exploded out with lightning speed to grab Zhao Dongshan by the throat and lift him up into the air. Then, he sent some cultivation base power pouring into him to seal him.
"Was it you?!" Bai Xiaochun asked, his eyes as cold as midwinter snow as he stared at Zhao Dongshan. The way his gaze stabbed into Zhao Dongshan's eyes made it seem like he was capable of seeing all the secrets inside of him. Zhao Dongshan's heart immediately began to pound, and he started panting.
Without even thinking about it, Zhao Dongshan tried to struggle free, but couldn't. The strength of Bai Xiaochun's right hand was completely terrifying. "What are you talking about? Don't do anything rash…."
That was what he tried to say, but actually couldn't. The only thing which came out of his mouth were some indistinct gurgling sounds. By this point, a sense of imminent deadly crisis had risen up in his heart.
"He's crazy!" he thought. "Dammit, this Bai Hao is a madman!!" Zhao Dongshan's heart pounded in his chest as he realized that he was likely moments away from death.
Bai Xiaochun looked at Zhao Dongshan for a moment, then slowly closed his eyes. Zhao Dongshan's expression had revealed nothing but fear of death. Considering how hot-headed he was, if he had been involved with the incident with Bai Hao, then the fact that he knew something about it would have shone in his eyes.
"So he's not in on it…?" he thought, his anxiety mounting. However, he didn't release Zhao Dongshan. Instead, he turned to look at the young clan members in the area, the ones who were obviously Zhao Dongshan's siblings.
"The Proclamation of Universal Grace will be enforced, and I'm here to supervise…. All of you should have fair and equal access to the resources of your clan!
"The people to benefit from the proclamation are those of you who never had any hope of becoming the successor of the clan, and those of you who were born bastards. If you refuse to support the proclamation, then the only people you will be hurting are yourselves!
"If you want the proper amount of resources, then I need you to tell me everything you know about your clan. Tell me about your parents, the members of the elder generation, the heavenly marquis…. The extent of the wealth of your clan will determine how much resources you get!
"The more you tell me, the more information I'll have for my records. That's the only way to ensure that the resources are distributed evenly. And in the end, you will get the fairest division of the clan assets!
"I have the power to grant rewards during the carrying out of the Proclamation of Universal Grace. Therefore… whoever among you gives me the most information will get the biggest rewards!
"As all of you can tell, this entire thing is for your benefit. That is why… I need to know everything about the Zhao Clan. And sometimes, the clan's assets are not physical items, but rather information, reports, and secrets. Such things are oftentimes far more valuable than the material assets!!" The other clan members were getting more excited by the moment, and their eyes were already shining with greed.
They were bursting with excitement and ambition, to the point where some were on the verge of going crazy. From what Bai Xiaochun had just said, they could all tell that the Proclamation of Universal Grace really had been issued to benefit them!
If they wanted to get their share of the assets, then it was important to have a true understanding of what the clan possessed…. And when it came to that, no one on the outside could possibly know as much as the people inside the clan itself.
By this point, Zhao Dongshan's terror had reached the point of panic. On the one hand, he was terrified at the prospect of dying, but on the other hand, if people took the clan assets, they were basically taking away his inheritance.
Although it was driving him into madness, his cultivation base had been tightly sealed, and he was being physically held by Bai Xiaochun. He had no choice but to wait and see what would happen, his heart filled with mixed emotions of all sorts.
Bai Xiaochun could see how excited everyone was. Looking back at Zhao Dongshan for a moment, he then tossed him into another nearby building, which also collapsed on top of him. Then he flew into motion, taking his 5,000 corpse troopers with him as he went on to his next target… the next heavenly marquis clan!
As he left, Zhao Dongshan crawled out of the rubble of the second building, staggering a bit as he looked around at all of the familiar faces around him. These were his siblings, who he had known for many years, but now, they looked like a pack of wolves….
His heart trembled, and suddenly, the sky seemed dark.
"I'm finished…."
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Chapter 792: The Talk Of The Town
Bai Xiaochun took action at the perfect time: the very moment that the Grand Heavenmaster's Dharmic decree was sent out, shaking Arch-Emperor City and causing all of the heavenly marquises to band together and go to the imperial palace.
It was a time when the nobility and aristocracy were completely unstable, and because of that, Bai Xiaochun swept across them like a windstorm. The successors were struck with fear, and the bastards and direct bloodline non-successors were shown staunch support. For the latter… they now had a justification to be ambitious, as well as something they had never even been able to dream of before: hope!
The truth was that Bai Xiaochun hadn't planned out his timing at all. He had simply been anxious, and hadn't dared to delay any longer than necessary. He would have shown up at the clans even if the heavenly marquises hadn't left. After all, he had two deva corpse troopers, four half-devas, and 5,000 in the Nascent Soul stage. He could even assault the manors belonging to heavenly dukes, much less those of the heavenly marquises.
It was with rapid speed that he began to move out from the Zhao Clan into the other boroughs, toward the other heavenly marquis clans.
There were roughly ninety of them, scattered throughout Arch-Emperor City. Virtually every borough in the city had one, and as soon as Bai Xiaochun arrived, he would immediately take action and grab the appointed successor of the clan.
And he would ask the same question of each one. Was it you?
He accompanied the words with raging killing intent, casting fear into the hearts of the clan successors he grabbed. However, he didn't turn up any clues, which caused his anxiety to grow, and his voice to grow more filled with rage.
At every clan, he would address bastards and direct bloodline non-successors alike, repeating the words he had first spoken in the Zhao Clan. The only difference was that he began to speak more and more directly.
"Tell me everything about your clan!
"Tell me what assets your clan has!
"Tell me about your clan's reserve savings!
"And tell me about your clan's troop movements. Did anyone new show up recently? Was there any suspicious activity among the elder generation? What has your heavenly marquis been up to…? Tell me your clan's secrets, your hidden resources, your intelligence reports!!
"The more you tell me, the greater your share will be!!
"Whoever tells me the most will receive personal backing from me!!" He spoke such words in clan after clan.
Of course, no matter how quickly he moved, making his way through all ninety of the clans was not something he could accomplish in a short time. Eventually, he split up his force of 5,000 corpse troopers, sending them to other clans with explicit instructions on what to do and say.
Before long, news of what was happening filtered up to the heavenly marquises, who were waiting outside of Heavenmaster Hall to see the Grand Heavenmaster.
They were infuriated, but had no idea what exactly to do. Some stamped their feet and returned to their clans to try to restore order, others remained behind in the hopes of getting an audience with the Grand Heavenmaster.
It didn't take long before the ambitions in the hearts of the bastards and non-successors began to grow like weeds in a field!
The waiting heavenly marquises began to grow more and more anxious, and were constantly sending and receiving messages to stay up to date on what was happening in their own clans. The fact that their children were all starting to go completely mad had their hearts pounding with anxiety.
"This good-for-nothing Bai Hao!!"
"He was the one that came up with this vicious plan!!"
"Dammit, dammit, DAMMIT!!"
Expressions of madness appeared on their faces as they realized that things had already reached the point of no return. The storm had come, and calming it would be no easy task!
Once ambitions arose in the heart, they could not be erased easily. Although it wouldn't be completely impossible, for all intents and purposes, it was.
None of them had actually met with the Grand Heavenmaster, and yet thanks to Bai Xiaochun, their clans were all descending into chaos. It was already worse than an enemy invasion!
Some clans had it better off. But for those who were truly in pandemonium, their respective heavenly marquises eventually had no choice but to head back to put out the proverbial fires.
By the time the doors of Heavenmaster Hall opened, there were only about twenty heavenly marquises left behind, who then entered the hall with bitterness written on their faces.
It was impossible to say what exactly they talked about, or how the Grand Heavenmaster managed to placate them. But in the end, they all left, unsightly expressions on their faces as they chose to simply hold their tongues on the matter.
By that time it was night, and Bai Xiaochun was waiting anxiously in the Inspections Manor. At a certain point, his transmission jade slip vibrated, and messages began to filter in from some of his most important contacts out in the clans.
After the heavenly marquises had returned, they quelled much of the chaos, and cast fear into the hearts of all their children. Because of that, Bai Xiaochun wasn't getting a huge amount of news.
However, he wasn't willing to resign himself to fate. Virtually every day, he would take his army of corpse troopers out to visit the clans, and reinforce the ambitions which had taken root in the hearts of the people there!
Although he experienced some friction with various heavenly marquises, considering he had 5,000 corpse troopers at his command, he didn't have much trouble dealing with it. Furthermore, he had Zhou Yixing go out and spread more information to boost the confidence of the bastard children.
Things went on like this for three days. The Proclamation of Universal Grace still stood, and the Grand Heavenmaster didn't seem likely to rescind it. Despite the threats of the heavenly marquises, Bai Xiaochun's transmission jade slip continued to vibrate as more information and secrets came in.
Another three days passed, and the heavenly marquises continued to quell the chaos in their clans using all sorts of methods. Some used callous techniques, others were more conciliatory. Whatever they did, it was exhausting. After all, they not only had to prepare for what happened if Bai Xiaochun showed up, but they also had to work hard to control internal affairs…. Everyone involved had the blood of the clan in them, which meant that no outsider could be relied upon for help. The marquises had to handle everything personally. Some of them even resorted to executions.
Because of that, more and more people began to act in secret. As a result, Bai Xiaochun's transmission jade slip vibrated with increasing frequency.
Soon, when word spread that some of the heavenly marquises had brutally killed or imprisoned some of their own children, Bai Xiaochun took his corpse trooper army over and fought them openly as punishment.
The fighting got other heavenly marquises worked up, and they joined in the fighting. However, the bastard sons of the clans, who had been suppressed viciously for more than ten days straight, and who had also been incited into action by Zhou Yixing, finally made a move!
At this point, true chaos erupted in many clans.
Things had reached a boiling point, and all of Arch-Emperor City was being shaken. Eventually, the Grand Heavenmaster took action to stop the fighting. The heavenly marquises couldn't worry about Bai Xiaochun anymore, and returned to their clans to prevent more chaos from erupting.
Of course, things had only calmed down on the surface. The clans were buzzing with activity. And at the same time, Bai Xiaochun's transmission jade slip began to vibrate almost nonstop. There were more than 10,000 bastards and other direct bloodline non-successors who were sending him messages.
"My clan has 3,700,000,000 portions of soul medicine!!"
"Exalted Bai Hao, my clan has a secret treasure room. Normally, only the successor is allowed in!"
"I once saw our heavenly marquis with a deva soul! It was metal-type!"
"My clan has a 100,000-man-strong personal army!"
Although the bastards and other direct bloodline non-successors all seemed shaken, they were secretly going crazy, and were beginning to reveal all of their clan secrets to Bai Xiaochun.
By now, Bai Xiaochun basically had spies in all of the clans. And before long, he not only knew everything that was happening in the clans, but could also directly influence the course of events!
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Chapter 793: Heavenly Duke Clan
Many of the bastard children and direct bloodline non-successors had hated Bai Xiaochun in the past. But now, he stood on their side, and even represented them! As the person enforcing the Proclamation of Universal Grace, they were all on the same team!
It wasn't that none of the heavenly marquises had thought of defying the order. However, as time progressed, the truly vicious aspects of the Proclamation of Universal Grace only became clearer. Each clan had one successor. However, the heavenly marquises were all people with profound cultivation bases, as well as multiple wives and concubines. It was only natural that they would have many children. Furthermore, all of those children were members of their clans. And now, all of the bastards and direct bloodline non-successors were on the side of the Grand Heavenmaster!
Unless the heavenly marquises completely exterminated their own bloodlines, the unrest inside their clans would never be completely quelled, and there was no way they could defy orders in rebellion!
Furthermore, in the final analysis, the Proclamation of Universal Grace kept all clan resources within the clan itself, and also within the bloodlines of the various heavenly marquises. As such, the Grand Heavenmaster could only be said to be acting reasonably!
Justice and reason were on his side, and thus, everyone supported him. Thus, the truly ferocious nature of the entire plan was revealed. And what was even more terrifying… were the common citizens of Arch-Emperor City!
The nobility and aristocracy were vastly removed from the common people. Therefore, when the Proclamation of Universal Grace was announced, the common people staunchly supported it!
Although it wouldn't directly benefit them, they were generally envious of the nobility and aristocracy, and especially the successors. Therefore, they were very happy to see everyone within the nobility and aristocracy treated the same.
It would immediately cause very powerful people to fall, and although they would likely rise to prominence again, the disparity between them and the common people would be greatly reduced.
As such, the common citizens in Arch-Emperor Dynasty were all very excited about what was happening.
Furthermore, they supported the Grand Heavenmaster more than ever. Yet again, the Grand Heavenmaster's prestige rose to a higher level, a level that was completely and utterly unprecedented!
In fact, he was now in the position to smoothly establish his own new dynasty if he wished to!
That filled the heavenly marquises with dread and bitterness. The heavenly marquises were all profound schemers, and therefore, it didn't take long for them to realize how truly terrifying the Proclamation of Universal Grace was!
And yet… that realization did them no good. Knowing the facts and being able to do something about them… were two very different things.
"If Bai Hao really did come up with this idea… then he's completely terrifying!!"
"His ability to craft and scheme could terrify even ghosts and gods! He's a complete master at manipulating people!"
"What kind of person do you have to be to come up with a vicious plan like this…? Wait a second…. This Bai Hao was born a bastard! Dammit! I bet he came up with this idea all the way back in Giant Ghost City, in the Bai Clan!!"
And yet, the storm was only just beginning. Things had started in Arch-Emperor City, but they soon spread to other parts of the Wildlands. It wasn't just the heavenly marquis clans who were affected. Many necromancer clans erupted into pandemonium.
And the person responsible for all of it was Bai Xiaochun, who currently sat cross-legged in the Inspections Manor. He did nothing to cover the exhaustion in his eyes. Up to this point, he still hadn't rested. Instead, he read each and every message that came his way, analyzing it and hoping to piece together any clues he found.
About half a month had passed since Bai Hao had gone missing, and Bai Xiaochun's madness had become like a raging sea of fire that threatened to burn both the people around him and himself.
He simply couldn't stop worrying about Bai Hao and his safety. Unfortunately, none of the information he had received up to this point had been of any help. He was deeply worried and sick at heart, to a level he had never experienced before.
The only time he could keep his breathing straight and his aura steady was when he was immersed in looking for clues. Although he had plenty of information stored in his jade slip now, none of it was comprehensive. He knew that any hope of finding Bai Hao rested in getting more clues.
"The wildfire caused by the Proclamation of Universal Grace… needs to burn a bit hotter!!" With that, he looked up, focusing his gaze on a certain direction…. Arch-Emperor City's Borough 5!
Borough 5 was the location of a heavenly duke clan!
"The time has come to make a move against the heavenly dukes. Not only will I be able to get more good information, I can also instill a bit of confidence in the cowards there!" Gritting his teeth, he flew into the air, and was soon leading his corpse troopers toward Borough 5!
Many, many people were paying attention, and noticed what was happening. Countless eyes tracked the army of corpse troopers as it flew through the sky, and before long, people realized that he was heading to Borough 5, which was the location of a heavenly duke clan. At that point, people began to gasp in excitement.
"A heavenly duke clan!?!?"
"This Bai Hao is too gutsy. He's actually going to a heavenly duke clan to enforce the Proclamation of Universal Grace!!"
As the conversation buzzed, 5,000 corpse troopers descended on Borough 5, with Bai Xiaochun in the lead position. He was flanked by two corpse troopers who emanated deva fluctuations, one in silver armor and one in black. Next in the procession were nine half-deva corpse troopers in black armor.
They didn't even pause for a moment after entering Borough 5. They headed right for the heavenly duke clan.
Bai Xiaochun vaguely recalled this heavenly duke as being an old man with whom he had had a few relatively cordial dealings. Unfortunately, he was running out of options at this point. As he neared the clan, a glowing shield of light suddenly appeared to block his path.
A face appeared on the surface of the shield, a middle-aged man who looked at Bai Xiaochun with cold eyes.
"Inspections Commissioner, if you have something to say, go ahead and say it. However, you are not permitted past this point!"
Bai Xiaochun's eyes narrowed as he looked through the shield at the clan, where numerous clan members were staring up at him. Although they all looked calm, he could see glints in the eyes of some that revealed to him that even many people in this heavenly duke clan were looking forward to the effects of the Proclamation of Universal Grace. Unfortunately, they could not act out in any way because of the unbelievable power of the heavenly duke himself.
After a moment of thought, Bai Xiaochun chose not to try to use force. He simply hovered there and projected his voice with his cultivation base so that it passed through the shield.
"I'm here on the orders of the Grand Heavenmaster, to supervise the enforcement of the Proclamation of Universal Grace!
"Heavenly marquis clans and heavenly duke clans alike must comply. Even the four heavenly kings are not exempt!
"Clan resources must be split fairly within the clan. Whether you are bastards, or direct bloodline members with no right of inheritance, all of you…." With that, he proceeded on with his usual speech.
When he was finished, the expressionless middle-aged man looked at him and said, "Finished? Please see yourself out!"
With that, the face of the man faded away, and Bai Xiaochun was left hovering there, a slight frown on his face. After a moment passed, he turned and headed to the second heavenly duke clan.
After that was the third, and the fourth…. Before long, he had visited every clan between Borough 1 and Borough 5. He had visited nine heavenly duke clans, and they had all treated him the same way as the first one he had visited!
Not a single heavenly duke allowed him to enter their clan. They permitted him to speak outside of their spell formation shield, and then unceremoniously asked him to leave.
It was cooperation of a sort, but their attitude left Bai Xiaochun with a very unsightly expression on his face. As for everyone who had gathered to follow him and watch the show, various thoughts ran through their heads.
Furthermore, the children in the various clans were also watching, and it caused their hearts to sink.
"Don't tell me that the Proclamation of Universal Grace isn't going to last much longer…." All of them were wondering about the potential profits and losses at hand.
The nobility and aristocracy watched as Bai Xiaochun grimly arrived at the location of the final heavenly duke clan, the Chen Clan!
Chen Haosong's clan took up nearly half of the entire borough, and had a heavenly duke pagoda that rose up far higher than any of the heavenly marquis pagodas.
Everyone in the clan sat silently waiting. As for all the children of the clan, the events which had played out among the heavenly marquis clans because of the Proclamation of Universal Grace had been very exciting to them.
And yet, none of them had dared to act. After all, the difference between a heavenly marquis clan and a heavenly duke clan was difficult to even put into words!
Back in the initial bloodbath, the Grand Heavenmaster had put an end to eighteen heavenly marquises. However… not a single heavenly duke had been affected. Generally speaking, as long as the heavenly dukes didn't openly betray the dynasty, their positions were unshakable. They were devas, and whether it was in the Wildlands or the Heavenspan River region, such people existed on a higher level than everyone else!
As Bai Xiaochun arrived at the Chen Clan, the glowing shield sprang up, preventing him from entering. Then, a voice echoed out loud and clear.
"Speak. And when you're done, get the hell out of here!" The scorn and loathing in that voice couldn't have been more clear.
Bai Xiaochun's eyes narrowed as he looked through the shield at the heavenly duke pagoda, and then suddenly… he smiled!
It was a cold smile, a smile… filled with unrestrainable madness!
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Chapter 794: Even The Heavenly Duke Bites His Tongue!
The audience that had built up looked on silently. The fact that the ten heavenly dukes wouldn't even let Bai Xiaochun in was something that led to all sorts of varied thoughts on their part.
News had been spreading, and more and more people in Arch-Emperor City were paying attention to what was happening.
Within the shield, the numerous members of the Chen Clan had placid expressions on their faces as they looked through the shield at Bai Xiaochun.
Chen Xiong was there. He was a member of the direct bloodline, but had no hope of becoming the successor. In the past, he had hated Bai Xiaochun, but now his feelings had changed. He knew the type of reserve savings his clan had built up, and also knew that if they were fairly distributed to someone like him… that a single portion would be enough to cause countless people to drool in envy, and would essentially support him for the rest of his life. [1]
As various similar thoughts ran through the heads of many other clan members, Bai Xiaochun smiled coldly on the other side of the shield, and his eyes burned with madness. He had known from the very beginning that the heavenly duke clans would be much more difficult to handle than the heavenly marquis clans.
Therefore, he had already made up his mind to throw caution to the wind, and leave the Chen Clan for the very last. After all, he had butted heads with this clan before.
His plan all along had been to see what happened with the other clans, and if things didn't go well, to go crazy on the Chen Clan!
And now, he didn't even need to find an excuse. The Chen Clan's attitude was enough to set him off. Pointing dramatically at the clan, he said, "Corpse trooper army, break down that spell formation shield!"
Countless jaws dropped when people heard his words. Whether it was the people in the Chen Clan or the audience who had gathered, no one even had a chance to react before Bai Xiaochun's 5,000 corpse troopers howled at the tops of their lungs and charged forward in attack!
The silver-armored corpse trooper moved especially quickly, and was the first to slam into the shield.
Even as the shield shook, the nine half-deva corpse troopers arrived, unleashing heaven-shaking, earth-shattering power!
Things weren't over yet, though. Next came the rest of the 5,000 troops, who unleashed a torrent of magical techniques and divine abilities. This was like warfare, as 5,000 attacks became like a huge wave that slammed into the Chen Clan's spell formation shield!!
"What are you doing, Bai Hao?!?!" shouted the same voice as before, except this time there was no scorn in it, only fury. As for all of the Chen Clan cultivators inside, their faces fell.
The audience looked on with incredulity.
"This Bai Hao… he…."
"Heavens! He's actually ordering an attack on a heavenly duke clan!!"
"I can't believe he dares to do such a thing!!"
The onlookers were starting to get very enthused, and quickly began to spread word through the city. Everyone else who had been watching events play out from other locations in Arch-Emperor City had strange expressions on their faces.
Many of the heavenly marquises flew out from their pagodas and looked over at the Chen Clan with expressions of complete disbelief.
The other nine heavenly dukes were all shocked, and sent streams of divine sense over to observe what was happening directly. When they realized that no reaction at all could be seen from the imperial palace, they grew more taciturn than ever.
The bastard children in the clan were all as shocked as wooden chickens, and a single thought ran through all of their heads.
"He's insane!!"
Even if the Chen Clan's spell formation shield was stronger than it was, it couldn't withstand a sea of divine abilities like this. Under the battery, it quickly began to fragment, and then eventually just exploded!
Chaos immediately swept through the Chen Clan, and a roar of rage echoed out from the heavenly duke pagoda.
"Do you have a death wish, Bai Hao?!" Powerful fluctuations surged out from the heavenly duke pagoda, rushing forward to meet the sea of magical techniques and divine abilities that were entering the clan.
A huge boom resulted that was distinctly audible even in the imperial palace. The sea of invading attacks shattered, and the 5,000 corpse troopers were shoved backward, with the exception of the silver-armored corpse trooper and the nine half-devas. All of them shot toward the heavenly duke pagoda!
Before they could arrive, the air around the pagoda swirled dramatically as a projected version of Chen Haosong's face appeared. Looking at the silver-armored corpse trooper and the other corpse troopers it led, he uttered a curse in a shouting voice.
"Cleaving!"
Suddenly, numerous mountains formed out of thin air, descending from above to slam into the corpse troopers. Moments later, Chen Haosong's face twisted and distorted, and then a violet beam of light shot out, slashing through everything in its path as it headed directly toward Bai Xiaochun!
Cheng Haosong was actually trying to kill Bai Xiaochun! However, at this point, deva fluctuations rolled out from the black-armored corpse trooper who had stayed behind to defend Bai Xiaochun.
Without the slightest hesitation, that corpse trooper took a step forward and launched a fist strike at the beam of violet light. The light shattered, and the corpse trooper shuddered as he staggered backward several paces. At the same time, his entire right arm was shredded out of existence!
If he had possessed a flesh and blood body, then it would have been a very serious injury. However, corpse troopers were essentially impossible to permanently injure. A moment later, the area where the arm had been severed began to wriggle and grow, as a new arm appeared!
Having failed to destroy Bai Xiaochun, Chen Haosong stepped out of the heavenly duke pagoda, where he waved his sleeve, sending a blast of wind at the silver-armored corpse trooper, and the other nine who followed him.
The nine half-deva corpse troopers trembled and tumbled backward, but the one in the silver armor only took a single step back. That caused Chen Haosong's face to fall, and he even began to pant slightly.
The deva fluctuations rolling off of Chen Haosong grew even stronger. Never before could he have guessed that this Bai Hao would actually dare to attack him and his clan! Although there had been friction between them in the past, he had always been of the opinion that Bai Xiaochun only looked like a force to be reckoned with, but was actually cowardly at heart, and mostly put on a show of false bravado. He had also come to the conclusion that although he could act in ruthless fashion, he valued his own life too much to do anything risky.
Therefore, Bai Xiaochun's sudden decisive action left him feeling very shocked.
"Do you know what you're doing, Bai Hao?!" he said coldly.
Bai Xiaochun looked back at him, waving his hand to cause all of the corpse troopers to stop moving. And yet, his killing intent only grew more and more intense.
Chen Haosong's eyes slowly narrowed. Although his cultivation base surpassed the silver-armored corpse troopers by quite a bit, he knew that he was surrounded by a huge group of them, and that they all had undying bodies, as well as further unknown abilities. And that was not to mention Bai Xiaochun's quasi-Deva Realm corpse trooper. All in all, it was a shocking force arrayed against him!
Bai Xiaochun's expression was as cold as ice as he looked at Chen Haosong. Then he took a step forward, and another, until he passed the point which had once been defended by the shield, and was now inside of the Chen Clan!
"According to the Proclamation of Universal Grace, everyone must be treated equally!
"The bastard children of the Chen Clan, as well as the direct bloodline members with no right of succession, are all welcome to send me what information they know. I will guarantee that they get their fair share of the clan assets. It is only fair and just!
"If you are cowardly, and don't take advantage of this opportunity, if you allow the distribution to be unfair, and allow the so-called successor to get the majority of the assets, then the results will be obvious. What little you gain, will also be taken away from you!
"At the moment, none of you have to actually do anything. Just… tell me everything you know about your clan. What secrets are there? What resources exist? Has anyone new shown up recently? All you have to do is secretly pass word to me about these matters.
"I'll do all the dirty work!" Although Bai Xiaochun spoke calmly, it was also with great power, allowing everyone in the Chen Clan to hear him. Immediately, the hearts of many clan members began to race.
An unsightly expression could be seen on Chen Haosong's face as he hovered there in the air. However, when he looked up at the imperial palace and saw absolutely no reaction, he realized that no one would be interfering with the day's events.
After Bai Xiaochun finished speaking, he gave a piercing look to the assembled crowds, then turned to leave. However, after only taking a few steps, he looked back at the Chen Clan, his eyes shining with cold light.
"Oh right. Just now, who was it that so brazenly defied the Proclamation of Universal Grace of the Grand Heavenmaster, and even told me to 'get the hell out of here'?" Almost immediately numerous bastard children within the clan all looked over at one particular old man. Even Chen Xiong joined in that group.
The old man's face fell, and before he could even say anything in response, Bai Xiaochun waved his hand.
"Execute him!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, all 5,000 corpse troopers attacked simultaneously. A scream echoed out as the old man was killed in body and soul. Chen Haosong's face grew so grim it was almost as black as iron. Clearly, Bai Xiaochun was ready to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. Considering how delicate the situation was, Chen Haosong had no choice but to simply bite his tongue and stare with narrowed eyes at Bai Xiaochun as he walked off.
1. Chen Xiong was one of the first chosen to clash with Bai Xiaochun in Arch-Emperor City, back in the arc that started in chapter 725
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Chapter 795: A Clue!
Bai Xiaochun didn't need to do this to every single one of the heavenly duke clans. All he needed to do was show his general stance. The children of the other nine heavenly dukes would immediately begin to ponder the significance of what had happened, not to mention the children in the heavenly marquis clans.
What he had done was enough!
In fact, the very day he left the Chen Clan, he got more messages than he had during the past half month!
Some information was genuine and some was not. When reports came in about the assets of the various clans, Bai Xiaochun merely glanced at them. What he was more interested in was information about what unusual events had transpired in the clans recently.
During the following days, information poured in, and Bai Xiaochun immersed himself in it, searching for clues. Many things were happening behind the scenes in the heavenly duke clans because of the Proclamation of Universal Grace.
The storm was building up to the point that the heavenly marquis clans were starting to lose their grip of control. It was also at this point that, at long last… the four heavenly kings were affected.
The War Champion King got off somewhat lightly, because he had fewer children. Other than the Junior Champion King, he only had five, and was able to keep them under control without resorting to any violent methods.
The Giant Ghost King came off almost completely unscathed. His only daughter, Mistress Red-Dust, didn't even know what was going on; she had not yet ended the session of secluded meditation her father had encouraged her to begin after the ancestral sacrifices.
However… the Nine Serenities King had it very rough. He had over a hundred children, all of whom were thrilled about the situation and instantly sided with the Grand Heavenmaster and Bai Xiaochun. Zhou Hong wanted to cry. After all, if he wanted to eventually take over the position of king, then he needed a demigod cultivation base. And his only hope of doing that was by using all the resources the clan had built up. But now… his hopes were dashed. And of course, he came to detest Bai Xiaochun more bitterly than ever.
The Nine Serenities King was a bit worried about the matter. Considering he had a demigod cultivation base, he initially didn't pay much attention to it, but the squabbling and fighting among his children quickly became quite a headache to deal with. However, all he had to do was think about the Wildlands' famous Spirit Advent King, and suddenly, he realized that his concerns were of little note.
The Spirit Advent King… was the one going most crazy of all!
Currently, he was shouting so loud that his voice echoed out from Spirit Advent Hall to fill the entire city.
"Damn that Bai Hao! That little punk is too ruthless!! All I did was break up him and Shanshan, right? Aghhhhh! I didn't do anything that bad! What, I'm not even allowed to watch over my own daughter?! This revenge of his is obviously targeting me!!!" He was so angry he was shaking, and the mere thought of how many children he had caused him to howl with grief.
He just had too many offspring…. Considering sons alone, he had over 3,000. And if you added in the daughters… well it was roughly double that. In fact, even he wasn't sure exactly how many children he had.
The thought of his life savings being divided up among roughly 6,000 children was so infuriating and distressing that not even his demigod cultivation base could keep him calm. And of course, his countless children were very excited by the Proclamation of Universal Grace.
And the fact that they were all siding with the Grand Heavenmaster and Bai Xiaochun was monumental. After all, if the Spirit Advent King resisted the proclamation, it was entirely possible that all his children could join forces and actually fight him.
Spirit Advent City was already in complete chaos, with 6,000 of the king's own children pooling all of their resources and power structure together.
The Spirit Advent King had no options at hand. He couldn't kill all of his children to save his own clan assets…. And therefore, he simply stared morosely in the direction of Arch-Emperor City.
"That Bai Hao is definitely doing this on purpose!"
Most furious of all was the official heir apparent in Spirit Advent City, who sat with gritted teeth and bloodshot eyes, his hatred for Bai Xiaochun rising into the heavens.
Xu Shan lay on her bed gazing in the direction of Arch-Emperor City, sighing constantly. As far as she was concerned, there was something fishy going on with Bai Hao. She really wanted to go find him and talk about it, but her father had her on complete lockdown, making it impossible for her to leave the city.
As far as Chen Manyao was concerned, she was still in secluded meditation on the orders of the Grand Heavenmaster.
As the four heavenly kings dealt with the situation in various ways, Bai Xiaochun was sifting through volumes of information, trying to find that needle in a haystack that was the clue he needed.
"Miao Lin'er went missing…. Her clan used to have an earthly necromancer…. Her entire clan is missing…." All of a sudden, his killing intent surged, but he quickly suppressed it. Now was not the time to act impulsively.
He could only take action when he was absolutely sure of the facts. That was his only hope of saving Bai Hao.
After all, if he made his move, and then failed, then his enemies would be even more on alert, and it would be almost impossible to track them down.
"I'm only going to have one chance! I just don't have enough clues! However, I definitely need to figure out where the Miao Clan went!" With those thoughts on his mind, he sent a message to Zhou Yixing and had him start searching for Miao Clan cultivators, with orders to keep eyes on those he found, but not make any sort of contact.
"The only people I haven't touched now are the four heavenly kings…. Who exactly was it that did the deed that day!? Once I find that out, then I can use all of the information I've collected to figure out… where Bai Hao is!" Although he was clearly exhausted, his heart still burned with intense madness.
He hadn't rested at all for nearly a month, and his nerves were stretched taut. However, he continued working, using the resources of the Inspections Manor to reach out to the children of the heavenly kings.
His instructions were for them to personally come to the Inspections Manor within three days so that he could deliver the Proclamation of Universal Grace to them personally.
Of course, Bai Xiaochun knew that, considering this wasn't an order from the Grand Heavenmaster, the heirs apparent could simply ignore it. However, he didn't care about that, or how much they hated him.
He wanted to see how many of the children who had no right of inheritance would come. Those people would be his eyes and ears within the palaces of the heavenly kings!
The Giant Ghost King ignored the message, as did the War Champion King and his children. But the children of the Nine Serenities King and the Spirit Advent King rushed excitedly toward the teleportation portals in their city to meet with Bai Xiaochun at the Inspections Manor!
When the day came, Bai Xiaochun emerged from his private chamber to find a shocking number of people waiting for him. Furthermore, the fact that ninety-seven percent of them were from Spirit Advent City left him feeling stunned.
As soon as all these royal children caught sight of him, they clasped hands passionately and bowed.
"Greetings, Inspections Commissioner!"
"You are a true hero of the ages, Inspections Commissioner. The Proclamation of Universal Grace is a sign of the coming golden age of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty!"
All sorts of talk could be heard from the mouths of the thousands of people present. In response, Bai Xiaochun gave a slight nod. He was in no mood for chit-chat. Looking out at the crowd, he somberly said, "Ladies and gentlemen, the Arch-Emperor himself has ordered that from this day forward, everyone from the Grand Heavenmaster to the royal officials will no longer have solitary heirs apparent!
"Everyone will now have the chance to win the position of king, even if you don't have a demigod cultivation base. According to the stipulations of the Proclamation of Universal Grace, all of you now have the right to start out on equal footing to become the appointed heir apparent!
"However, the true judge of how fair this will all be is your own understanding of your clans. Tell me everything you know about them. The more information I get, the more likely that I can make you all happy!
"As of this moment, I have sufficient information from the heavenly marquis clans and the heavenly duke clans, as provided to me by the bastard children and those from the direct bloodlines who have no official right of inheritance. The only people I need information from now… is you here." Everyone present was already roughly familiar with what had been happening, and took his words in stride. In fact, all of them felt very grateful.
It was only natural for them to support an arrangement in which they could secretly pass the information to him, and he would do the dirty work. When it came to information about clan assets, such things wouldn't normally be passed to outsiders. But he'd already done this same thing with the heavenly duke clans, and no one had come to be in any danger. And when it came to the demigod clans, no one would punish these children, not even if they were considered to have betrayed the clan by revealing secret information.
After all, they had the blood of heavenly kings in them, even if they weren't heirs apparent. Normally speaking, they could do whatever they wished without fear of any reprisal. As such, the very day that everyone left the Inspections Manor, news began to filter in to Bai Xiaochun.
As of this point, Bai Xiaochun now had an information network that filled the entire Arch-Emperor Dynasty. Reports came in almost every moment. Even the common people joined in, sending him information about virtually everything.
Bai Xiaochun couldn't have been busier. Eventually… after five days passed, he suddenly looked up, and his hand clenched down so hard on the transmission jade slip that it nearly shattered. At this point, the killing intent in his eyes burned with complete insanity.
He had found the clue he needed to fit all the pieces together. The impenetrable fog that had surrounded the disappearance of Bai Hao faded away!!
"Their clan used to have an earthly necromancer…. Thirteen clans working together…. The Nine Serenities King…. Miao Lin'er's grandfather…. He's hiding in one of those thirteen clans!" Killing intent surging, he looked down at the transmission jade slip and found a message from one of the children of Heavenly Marquis Zhou!
"There's a celestial necromancer in our clan that I've never seen before. He's very mysterious. Supposedly he's in secluded meditation performing spirit enhancements on some magical items, but I doubt that's true!"
Bai Xiaochun looked up again, and his eye were crimson. "This is what I needed!"
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Chapter 796: Fighting Into The Zhou Clan!
"Zhou Wudao!" The coldness in Bai Xiaochun's eyes was such that the entire private chamber suddenly seemed as frigid as the dead of winter!
Although he didn't fully understand the reason Bai Hao had gone missing, he now had a general idea. A patriarch in Miao Lin'er's clan was a necromancer at the peak of the celestial rank, who planned to use Bai Hao's soul in a flame conjuring to achieve a breakthrough!
Out of fear of Bai Xiaochun, he had allied with thirteen other clans, and had also somehow called upon the aid of the Nine Serenities King. That was how they had managed to snatch Bai Hao the previous month without leaving a single trace of evidence behind!
Afterward, the Miao Clan patriarch had gone into hiding in one of the clans, a clan where no one would think to look. After all, when it came to the heavenly marquises of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, Zhou Wudao was neither among the ten most powerful, nor among the ten weakest. He was somewhere in the middle. He wasn't a very well-spoken person, and thus didn't have many dealings with others. He was basically the quiet type.
He was one of the people in the dynastic court who almost never spoke. If he was ever forced to speak, he would always go along with the majority. He was so unassuming that many people even forgot he existed.
Bai Xiaochun had never heard of him before the Proclamation of Universal Grace. However, it was a bastard son of Zhou Wudao who secretly sent the critical information. Never could Bai Xiaochun have guessed that Bai Hao would be in that clan!
Of course, Zhou Wudao's clan was one of the thirteen who had helped the Miao Clan. As for who the other twelve clans were, Bai Xiaochun had still not yet unearthed any clues.
However, he wasn't very concerned with that information. All of his efforts during the past month had been focused on finding Bai Hao.
As far as what he had just learned, he had no intention of reporting it to the Grand Heavenmaster.
The matter was simply too important, and he couldn't risk the chance that the Grand Heavenmaster would refuse him the right to act. If word leaked out, and if his enemies were alerted, then it might very well become impossible to track Bai Hao down again.
He couldn't gamble when it came to something this vital!
As he rose to his feet, his murderous aura grew stronger. The time had come to vent all of the madness which had been building up over the last month. The time had come to do some killing!
Without the slightest hesitation, he sent a message to Zhou Yixing with certain instructions. Then he strode out into the open and flew up into the air above the Inspections Manor. With the wave of a sleeve, he sent some divine sense out, and then headed at top speed toward the location of Zhou Wudao's clan.
At the same time, rumbling sounds could be heard as countless corpse troopers flew up to follow him. In this case, he didn't take 5,000, but rather, 4,000!
The other 1,000 were in Zhou Yixing's hands to handle other matters!
Bai Xiaochun plus 4,000 beams of light shot through the air, surrounded by a black vortex that was the most powerful of murderous auras. The sky rippled, and a screaming wind kicked up, attracting the shocked attention of numerous individuals in Arch-Emperor City.
Bai Xiaochun ignored all of the gazes which came to focus on him, nor did he attempt to prevent his eyes from being completely bloodshot. He looked completely mad, and engulfed by a shocking killing intent.
His veins of steel pulsed explosively, as though he had become a devilish god!
As he raced along, the anxiety in his heart mounted. He felt guilt, frenzy, nervousness, apprehension, and all sorts of other emotions, all of which shoved him deeper into madness!
Very rarely in Bai Xiaochun's life did he ever wish to kill people, but in this situation, he had been pushed too far. He had just spent a month searching for clues, and now that he had a target, it was impossible for him to dispel that killing intent.
Of course, through it all, he reminded himself that his main goal right now was not revenge; it was to save Bai Hao.
He and his 4,000 corpse troopers sailed over dozens of boroughs until they closed in on Borough 61, where a heavenly marquis pagoda rose high into the air. When Bai Xiaochun saw it, his eyes flashed with sharp light.
This place was the Zhou Clan!
After scanning the place with divine sense but finding nothing, he turned and transmitted a message to his silver-armored corpse trooper. "Can you detect a hidden chamber anywhere in the Zhou Clan? A chamber containing a celestial necromancer?!"
The silver-armored corpse-trooper's eyes flashed, and he studied the Zhou Clan. After a moment, he shook his head. "There must be some unique secret magic at work that defies divine sense…."
Bai Xiaochun's eyes narrowed, and yet he didn't hesitate. As soon as he was outside the Zhou Clan, he loudly said, "I want 2,000 corpse troopers to form a perimeter. No one is allowed to enter this clan from the air or the ground. Nor may anyone leave!!" Instantly, 2,000 of the corpse troopers flew out and formed ranks, locking down everything around the Zhou Clan!
They… were completely surrounded!
The 2,000 corpse troopers quickly created a spell formation which caused black smoke to roil out and cover the entire Zhou Clan, sealing it completely!
Cries of alarm rang up from inside the clan, especially from the appointed successor in the clan. As for the marquis himself, he looked up angrily at the corpse trooper army, at the seal locking down the clan, and at Bai Xiaochun with his murderous aura.
It only took a moment for the heavenly marquis to realize what was happening. He was one of the very few people in the clan who knew that Miao Lin'er's grandfather was hiding amongst them, and that his clan had been one of the people involved in the abduction of the inspections commissioner's soul slave.
Therefore, his anger regarding the Proclamation of Universal Grace had mostly been a mask to cover his anxiety.
The fact that Bai Xiaochun had suddenly shown up caused his face to fall and his mind to reel with the realization that… he knew the truth!!
"Activate the formation!" he said. Then he bit down on his tongue and spit out a mouthful of blood. That blood was a key aspect needed to activate the clan's spell formation. A moment later, a huge blood-colored shield sprang up, instantly spreading out to protect the clan.
That was the exact moment in which Bai Xiaochun and his 2,000 corpse troopers arrived. Without the slightest hesitation, he immediately had the corpse troopers violently attack the shield!
Most shocking of all though, were not the brutal corpse troopers, but Bai Xiaochun, who had a vicious snarl on his face as he attacked with the explosive violence of an erupting volcano.
RUUUUUUUUMBLE!
Heaven and earth shook violently, and a huge shockwave blasted out in all directions, causing many nearby structures to rock back and forth.
The blood-colored shield immediately began to twist and distort, and then, after only a few breaths of time passed, it shattered into countless fragments that rained down onto the clan below.
The clan was thrown into a huge commotion, with many cultivators coughing up blood and looking up with incredulity. Some even began to cry out.
"What are you doing, Bai Hao?!?!"
"Our clan didn't break any rules, nor did we offend you! What are you doing!?!?"
The heir apparent of the clan was also present. Eyes flashing with anger, he shouted, "This is an abuse of power, Bai Hao! You're using your public office to get revenge for personal matters! The Grand Heavenmaster is going to find out about this, and the rest of the nobility and aristocracy too! Nobody will be able to protect you then. You'll die for sure!! Fellow clan members! Join forces! If we stand against him for long enough, someone will definitely come to rescue us!!"
However, even as he spoke these words, he fled in the direction of his heavenly marquis pagoda!
Although not everyone in the clan leaped to obey the orders of the heir apparent, many of the senior generation flew angrily up into the sky toward Bai Xiaochun. Even some of the most loyal of the clan servants joined them.
There were more than a thousand in total. And yet, as soon as they met Bai Xiaochun's advancing corpse troopers, fierce fighting broke out, along with agonized shrieks.
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Chapter 797: Killing And Crushing!
The Zhou Clan was fundamentally incapable of resistance. Blood sprayed out of the mouths of those who came forth to fight, and they were sent tumbling backward. Then, a chilling voice rang out, which belonged to none other than Bai Xiaochun.
"That's right, I am here for personal revenge. But I only want to kill three people. And if anybody tries to stop me, I'll cut them down!" Bai Xiaochun couldn't care less whether the other members of the Zhou Clan lived or died. However, there were two people who had long since been on his list to kill. One was Zhou Wudao, and the other was Miao Lin'er's grandfather. Now, there was a new person on that list… the heir apparent!
Without pausing for a moment, Bai Xiaochun shot with lightning-like speed toward that very heir apparent!
The heir apparent's face was pale white as he sped toward the heavenly marquis pagoda. Just when he was about to reach it, Bai Xiaochun suddenly appeared in front of him and unleashed a fist strike!
That fist strike contained all of Bai Xiaochun's anger and madness; it ripped the air apart, and provoked a shrill scream from the heir apparent. A profound sensation of deadly crisis filled him, as though he knew that there was no longer a place for him to live in this world.
This was his clan, where he was supposed to be safe, and yet, unprecedented deadly danger had found him!
"Father!! Save me!!!" he shouted.
At this point, a beam of dazzling light shot out from the heavenly marquis pagoda, accompanied by a cold and sinister voice.
"If you dare to kill my son, Bai Hao, then your soul slave will be destroyed beyond the shadow of a doubt!!"
Currently sitting in the heavenly marquis pagoda was a middle-aged man of average height and appearance. He was a half-deva, but among half-devas, could not be considered particularly strong. However, with the power of his heavenly marquis pagoda, he was capable of battle prowess roughly equivalent to a full deva.
That was why, despite how Bai Hao had attacked his clan and destroyed their shield, he had waited patiently inside of the heavenly marquis pagoda.
At the moment, he felt hesitant and fearful, not of Bai Xiaochun, but of his corpse troopers, especially the one wearing silver armor.
At the same time, he still felt confident in some aspects. The fact that Bai Xiaochun had come here showed how important his soul slave was to him. And therefore… Zhou Wudao was confident that he wouldn't kill his son. He was just trying to create some pressure, or perhaps bring about a scenario in which he could offer a trade for his soul slave. Whichever was the case, the inspections commissioner definitely wouldn't resort to killing!
After all, Zhou Wudao was a heavenly marquis, and this was Arch-Emperor City. The inspections commissioner still answered to the grand heavenmaster, and despite how crazy he was acting, he hadn't become irrational.
"I just need to buy some time!!" he thought. With that, he produced a transmission jade slip to send a message asking for help.
However, in Zhou Wudao's moment of confidence, Bai Xiaochun's eyes turned more bloodshot than before. Ignoring the beam of light shooting down from the heavenly marquis pagoda, he sent his fist flying forward with even greater speed than before!!
It pierced through the air like the gust of a storm wind, landing directly onto the back of the fleeing heir apparent.
The heir apparent had a mid Nascent Soul stage cultivation base, whereas Bai Xiaochun had battle prowess similar to a half-deva. How could this heir apparent possibly defend himself against that? Intense rumbling sounds filled the air as a scream escaped the young man's lips that vastly surpassed anything from before.
However, the scream didn't last for long. The explosive power of the fist reduced him to nothing more than a haze of blood and gore!
Even his nascent soul was incapable of escape, and was ripped to pieces. The heir apparent… was destroyed in body and soul! Not even his bones remained behind!!
As for the beam of light from the heavenly marquis pagoda, the silver-armored corpse trooper stepped forward and took the blow for Bai Xiaochun.
"Bai Hao!!!" Zhou Wudao shouted in apoplectic rage as he leapt to his feet. "How… how dare you kill a child of mine!!!"
Never in his wildest imagination could he have imagined that Bai Xiaochun would actually be so decisive, and also so uncompromising.
The other members of the Zhou Clan who had just witnessed what happened were left shaking physically. His chilling words from earlier had already prompted a large number to give up thoughts of interfering with him, but now, all of them were terrified to the extreme.
It wasn't just them. A crowd had already begun to build up in the area beyond the perimeter created by the corpse troopers, and when they saw what had just occurred, many of them gasped.
To kill a heavenly marquis' son in this way… showed how deep his enmity went!
"I guess I haven't killed enough people since coming to Arch-Emperor City," Bai Xiaochun said in a fierce and brutal tone. "Well, since you and your friends decided to attack me personally…. Then not only will I kill your son… I'm going to kill you too!"
Even as his words continued to echo in the air, he burst forward with explosive speed toward the heavenly marquis pagoda.
As he closed in, several beams of dazzling light shot out from the pagoda toward him. Simultaneously, the side of the pagoda rippled as a shadowy figure emerged.
That shadowy figure was one of the miraculous abilities of the heavenly marquis pagoda, a magical clone which immediately shot toward Bai Xiaochun in attack.
It was at this point that the corpse troopers, including the silver-armored one, split off and began to search the buildings for Miao Lin'er's grandfather.
Obviously, Bai Xiaochun had given them the order to do so. He didn't need the help of his corpse troopers for this fight. In fact, he wanted a chance to vent the anger, madness, and guilt which had built up over the last month!
Rumbling booms could be heard as the dazzling beams of light landed on Bai Xiaochun, and yet, he didn't even blink in response. He only picked up speed, hurtling toward the magical clone at top speed. As he closed in, he shoved out his right hand.
An explosive blast of wind spread out in all directions in response. In response, the magical clone of Zhou Wudao snorted coldly and performed an incantation gesture, summoning a horde of illusory pythons to attack Bai Xiaochun.
Bai Xiaochun's expression didn't change at all. He clenched his right fist, which caused a black vortex to appear, along with a terrifying gravitational force. It was as if all of the energy in the entire area were being sucked into that vortex!
Even Bai Xiaochun's aura vanished, until it almost seemed like he didn't exist. However, that was when a domineering figure appeared behind him!
This was none other than… the Undying Emperor's Fist!!
It was an attack that had left Mistress Red-Dust visibly surprised, and was very close to the power of a deva!
A massive amount of force was building up around Bai Xiaochun. It almost seemed like night was falling in his area as all of the light was sucked into that black vortex!
Zhou Wudao's shadowy clone felt an intense sensation of deadly crisis building up, and let out a shout, simultaneously performing a double-handed incantation gesture that caused the pythons to all form together into a 300-meter wide defensive formation.
However, that defensive formation was as effective against Bai Xiaochun's Undying Emperor's Fist as a mantis was against a war chariot!
BOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
The python formation was ripped to shreds, becoming a cloud of gore and bones which rapidly transformed into nothing more than ash!
Zhou Wudao's clone couldn't have looked more shocked at how wildly destructive the Undying Emperor's Fist was!
Things weren't over yet, though. As the darkness of night grew stronger in the area, the heavenly marquis pagoda began to shake. Inside, Zhou Wudao coughed up a mouthful of blood, and his face turned as white as a sheet as he spared no effort to fight back with the powers of the pagoda.
"Time to double it up!" Bai Xiaochun said, eyes glittering. Clenching his hand into a fist, he unleashed the Undying Emperor's Fist again, this time with double the level of power!
The darkness in the area converged on itself, making a huge black fist that caused everyone who saw it to gasp in shock. Then that fist slammed into the heavenly marquis pagoda!
Heaven and earth shook violently; all of Arch-Emperor City trembled!
A moment later, the Undying Emperor's Fist faded away, and the heavenly marquis pagoda still stood!
Bai Xiaochun hovered just outside of it, his expression as cold as ice.
Inside the pagoda, Zhou Wudao was coughing up more blood, and had visibly aged, and yet was laughing madly.
"So what if you have a deva-level fist strike? This is a heavenly marquis pag--" However, before Zhou Wudao could finish speaking, cracking sounds could be heard. His face fell, and then drained of blood as he saw… a crack appear right beneath him!
"Impossible. Impossible…." Zhou Wudao felt like his mind had been struck by lightning, and his face was covered with an expression of unmitigated horror.
Then, more cracking sounds could be heard. More and more cracks began to spread out through the pagoda, as, within the space of a few breaths of time… it collapsed!!
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Chapter 798: Ill Give You Ten Breaths Of Time!
As the heavenly marquis pagoda collapsed, complete silence filled the area. Everyone in the clan felt like their minds were being struck by lightning from the heavens. To a heavenly marquis clan, their heavenly marquis pagoda was a symbol of how lofty and amazing their clan was!
It was the most important legacy in their clan, passed on to each successor as a means to defend the clan.
And right now, the Zhou Clan's heavenly marquis pagoda… was collapsing into pieces!!
Although this was not the first such pagoda to be destroyed after the Arch-Emperor Dynasty relocated to the Wildlands… it was the only one to meet such a fate in the past thousand years! The significance of this event defied imagination!
If that was how the Zhou Clan reacted, then there was little need to wonder how everyone else in the audience was reacting. There were countless people observing events on behalf of other powerful groups, and also just random people interested in watching, and all of them were dumbstruck.
"The Zhou Clan's heavenly marquis pagoda… is collapsing…."
"This Bai Hao actually dared to destroy a heavenly marquis pagoda!!"
Zhou Wudao emerged from within the collapsing pagoda, blood spraying out of his mouth, and looking visibly older than before. The instant he appeared in the open, he didn't charge toward Bai Xiaochun in attack, but rather… turned and fled!
He had no other choice than to do so. Bai Xiaochun's fist strike had been unimaginably shocking, so powerful that it actually destroyed a lofty and magnificent heavenly marquis pagoda!
To Zhou Wudao, it was almost inconceivable. Most people only knew a little bit about how heavenly marquis pagodas actually worked, but as a heavenly marquis, he had complete control over his own pagoda, and was thus deeply struck by what had just occurred.
He knew that the so-called heavenly marquis pagodas were not created by heavenly marquises. Instead… they had been built along with Arch-Emperor City itself! More specifically, they were shocking magical devices that could focus and release the power of an unseen spell formation!
After all, what was visible of Arch-Emperor City right now was actually only a part of the true extent of the city. There was more buried underground. And as for the heavenly marquis pagodas, they could enable a half-deva heavenly marquis to unleash battle prowess equivalent to a full deva.
And of course, the heavenly duke pagodas were even more impressive!
The power of the pagodas was limited to some extent. After all, they were expensive to fully power up, and that would not be permitted unless the Arch-Emperor Dynasty were under direct threat.
Even still… they were powerful enough that no ordinary person could possibly attack them successfully. In fact, the one which had been successfully destroyed a thousand years ago… had been during a battle of demigods!
Because of that, there was no way that Zhou Wudao could ever have guessed that his heavenly marquis pagoda would collapse. Although he wasn't sure how it was happening, he had his suspicions, and they terrified him.
"If it isn't his cultivation base, then it must be some special divine ability…. That fist strike is actually a magical technique! But what?" Zhou Wudao's face was ashen as he realized that he had provoked someone he was most certainly not powerful enough to have provoked. Thus, it was without the slightest hesitation that he fled as quickly as possible.
An icy glint appeared in Bai Xiaochun's eyes. He didn't know much about heavenly marquis pagodas, and therefore, was a bit confused by Zhou Wudao's reaction.
It was with lightning-like speed that he immediately gave chase, when suddenly… a shadowy blur appeared from within the rubble of a collapsing building at the edge of the Zhou Clan. The figure was partially translucent, and was moving directly toward the corpse troopers who had the area locked down.
Not only was the figure moving quickly, it was using some sort of divine ability that slowed the corpse troopers down. As a result, it seemed to be just on the verge of breaking through the blockade.
However, that was when Bai Xiaochun stopped, turned, and vanished. When he reappeared, he was right in front of the shadowy figure!
It was almost as if he had been waiting for this person to make a break for it!
"So, you finally show your face!" he said, his eyes radiating icy coldness and killing intent. Rumbling sounds echoed out as the air around him began to swirl like a vortex.
Unexpectedly, the intensity of his killing intent actually surpassed what had appeared when he had attacked Zhou Wudao!
"You!!" the shadowy figure blurted, suddenly backing up. At that point, it resolved into the image of an old man. He seemed alarmed; clearly, he had believed himself very clever for attempting to flee when the heavenly marquis pagoda fell, and Bai Xiaochun went chasing after Zhou Wudao.
By fleeing at that time, and using his special technique to slow the reactions of the corpse troopers, he had been very confident in being able to make his escape.
Never could he have imagined that Bai Xiaochun would be prepared for just something like this. The old man was caught completely unaware.
The truth was that as soon as Bai Xiaochun had arrived at the Zhou Clan and found that neither he nor his silver-armored corpse trooper could use their divine sense to find this old man, he had come up with his plan.
One of the reasons he had killed the heir apparent was to vent his anger, but the other was to prevent Zhou Wudao from buying time and getting help.
The whole point to his offensive had not been to kill anyone, but to give Miao Lin'er's grandfather what he believed was a chance to escape. Only by pushing things to the very limit, and by making his opponent think that he was completely mad, would the man be confident enough to try to escape.
That was why he had attacked with such ruthless efficiency, and had immediately resorted to the Undying Emperor's Fist. The whole time, his divine sense had been spread out through the clan, and especially focused on his corpse troopers!
He knew that the old necromancer would attempt to escape by breaking through the sealing blockade, and that was exactly what he had been waiting for!
Now that the old man was backing away from him, Bai Xiaochun stepped forward. At the same time, he sent a thought out to his corpse troopers, causing them to reinforce and shrink the perimeter. Meanwhile, the silver-armored corpse trooper unleashed the power of his deva cultivation base and headed toward the old necromancer!
It only took moments to lock down everything above and below. As of this point, it didn't matter what special technique this old man had, he would not be escaping!
Zhou Wudao was also affected, and had to start backing away from the corpse troopers. There was simply no way he could break through that barrier.
Miao Lin'er's grandfather could see that it was a critical moment. Eyes flickering with madness he suddenly looked over at Bai Xiaochun and shouted, "Let me go, Bai Hao! If you don't, then a single thought from me will wipe your soul slave out of existence!"
Apparently worried that Bai Xiaochun might be convinced that his soul slave was dead, the old man performing an incantation gesture, causing a soul shadow to appear on his forehead.
That soul shadow was Bai Hao, who was trapped in the old man's forehead, slowly being burned and clearly in critical danger.
Bai Xiaochun stopped in place, trembling inwardly as he looked at Bai Hao's soul shadow. The corpse troopers also stopped, including the silver-armored one, although his deva fluctuations grew more intense.
"If you let me go," the old man said nervously, "I'll give you back your soul slave!" His eyes darted back and forth between Bai Xiaochun and the silver-armored corpse trooper with the deva cultivation base. The fact that Bai Xiaochun had stopped moving instantly boosted his confidence; he could clearly see how important this soul slave was to him. "Back down now! I'll give you ten breaths of time!"
The old man's eyes were glittering more brightly than ever, and off to the side, Zhou Wudao's heart leaped with anticipation.
Bai Xiaochun looked away from Bai Hao's soul shadow and into the eyes of the celestial necromancer. Although he was very nervous, he was feeling more merciless than ever. Voice cold, he said, "I'll give you ten breaths of time to decide. Either you die, or every last member of the Miao Clan dies. The choice is yours!"
Waving his hand, he summoned a screen of light, within which was an image!
It depicted the Inspections Manor, within which were tens of thousands of soul cultivators. There were men and women of all types, and they were all trembling with fear. Miao Lin'er was there, her face pale and covered with dread.
They were surrounded by an army of corpse troopers who pulsed with murderous auras, their leader being none other than Zhou Yixing!
Miao Lin'er's grandfather was clearly shocked by the image. Even more shocking was that the people in the image could see him. They quickly began to call out in anxious voices.
"Save us, Patriarch!!"
"Help me, grandfather!!"
"Patriarch, it's me, Tan'er! Help me!!!"
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Chapter 799: You Tricked Me, Bai Hao!
Shockingly, these were all of the members of the Miao Clan!
They only represented about seventy to eighty percent of the clan as a whole, but that was still a large number. Furthermore, many of them were chosen of the clan, people who the patriarch had spent blood, sweat, and tears, not to mention significant cultivation resources, to groom as necromancers.
They represented the reserves of the entire Miao Clan, as well as its future!
This Miao Clan patriarch had carefully split his clan into smaller groups and hidden them away where he thought no one would be able to find them. Never could he have imagined that Bai Xiaochun would have the resources to track them all down!!
Actually, that was one of the first clues Bai Xiaochun had found, and a task he had immediately assigned to Zhou Yixing. Furthermore, the reason he had ordered him not to do anything at first was for fear of alerting his enemies.
The reason he finally made a move on the Zhou Clan was because he had gathered all the clues he needed, and he had decided to close the net. Of course, the ordinary cultivators of the Miao Clan weren't necessarily very useful on their own. But Bai Xiaochun had long since come to the conclusion that if Bai Hao were still alive, then he would end up in this very situation, where the Miao Clan patriarch would use Bai Hao to threaten him.
And therefore… he would use the Miao Clan itself to threaten the patriarch, as his trump card! That was another of the reasons why he had unhesitatingly cut down the heir apparent of the Zhou Clan. That menacing action would be even more powerful than a mere spoken threat.
"Bai Hao! You!!!" The Miao Clan patriarch's eyes were completely bloodshot, and his mind was reeling. Within that projected image, he saw Miao Lin'er and all of the other young ones in the clan that he had not just painstakingly groomed, but also dearly loved.
He thought back to life in his clan, how these young ones had been so attached to him, and suddenly he began to breathe raggedly. At the same time, a look of struggle appeared in his eyes.
As of this moment, their life or death would be decided by one simple action on his part!!
"This isn't everyone in your clan," Bai Xiaochun said, slowly and clearly, "but don't worry. If my soul slave perishes, then trust me, I will do everything in my power to track down every last child of the Miao Clan, no matter where they are hiding, and put them to death! I will ensure that the Wildlands never again has a hint of a clan named Miao! Every bloodline will be wiped away!"
Bai Xiaochun knew that the fact that the Miao Clan patriarch was using Bai Hao to threaten him indicated that his identity had not been revealed. If it had, the patriarch wouldn't need to threaten him. He could overturn Bai Xiaochun's entire world with ease, and place him in the most dangerous of deadly situations!
Something else that made Bai Xiaochun tremble in anger was the knowledge that the Miao Clan patriarch could not easily soulsearch Bai Hao. And yet, the patriarch would obviously have wanted to know exactly how Bai Hao had come to be. Because of that, Bai Xiaochun could only imagine the suffering and torment he had undergone. And yet… the Miao Clan patriarch had failed in his efforts!
Bai Xiaochun had already been unwilling to abandon his apprentice before, but that added realization bolstered his convictions!
The Miao Clan patriarch's lips quivered, and his eyes grew increasingly bloodshot. He was even finding it hard to breathe. It was almost like he had split into two people, one of whom represented his clan, and the other of whom represented himself. And the two of them were fighting back and forth for the superior position. Would his desire to become an earthly necromancer outweigh his duty to his clan?
It was in that exact same moment that Bai Xiaochun once again spoke.
"Under no circumstances will I allow you to leave here today. And I don't need to rely on luck to make sure that happens. You will die today, no matter what. Either give me my soul slave, and be the only person to die, or… you, your clan, and my soul slave… can all die together!
"There is no escape for you, and no one will come to your rescue. Don't bother trying to buy time. I'll say it only once more. You have ten breaths of time!
"After that, I will give the order for my corpse troopers to attack. Then, you can watch the blood of your clan flow in rivers toward the Netherworld as you die along with them!" Although Bai Xiaochun's heart was racing in anxiety, his face didn't show it. He seemed cold, ruthless and emotionless, and his voice contained decisiveness that could sever nails and chop iron.
With that, he flicked his sleeve, looked at the image of Zhou Yixing, and said, "Start the countdown, Zhou Yixing. After ten breaths of time, execute the Miao Clan!"
"Ten!
"Nine!
"Eight!"
The Miao Clan patriarch shivered and panted more than before. Bai Xiaochun's words were like sharp knives that stabbed deep into his heart and mind, pushing him to the brink of complete collapse.
That was especially true considering that Bai Xiaochun had said that he would die no matter what. And he only had ten breaths of time to make his decision. By this point, he was convinced that Bai Xiaochun truly had made a decision to kill him, and that there was no way out of the situation.
"What do I do?" he thought. "What am I supposed to do!?!?"
As the Miao Clan patriarch chuckled bitterly, and Zhou Yixing counted down loudly, the Miao Clan cultivators began to beg and plead even more loudly than before. "Save us, Patriarch!!"
"Five!"
"Four!"
Zhou Yixing's words blasted into the Miao Clan patriarch's ears like thunder. The patriarch stared at Bai Xiaochun, hoping to get some clue from him to indicate that perhaps he was bluffing. But no matter how he looked at him, he seemed cold and ruthless. He looked like he would go to any lengths necessary to see the patriarch dead!
"He cares about this soul," he thought, his heart pounding, "but not enough that it can be used as a threat against him…." Clearly, Bai Xiaochun either wanted the soul for himself, or didn't want anyone else to have it!
The truth was that Bai Xiaochun was actually far more nervous than the Miao Clan patriarch. And yet, he had to keep that hidden, down to the tiniest scrap.
He knew that if he let the Miao Clan patriarch go, he would lose the initiative, and his opponent would be in control of Bai Hao's life. At that point, if the other twelve clans and the Nine Serenities King took action, it would be virtually impossible for him to save Bai Hao!
Delaying matters wouldn't do any good. He needed to decisively end matters right here and now.
His only hope was to see which of the two of them was more vicious. He had to make it seem like he wanted the man dead no matter what. Only by destroying his opponent's hope for life could he possibly awaken his sense of responsibility toward his clan. At that point, the man would be forced to choose who died: himself, or his clan. In the end, most ordinary people… would pick the former!
The former was not death, it was… sacrificing oneself for one's people!
If the patriarch somehow saw through Bai Xiaochun's act, and realized that he cared about the situation even more than the patriarch, then Bai Xiaochun would be forced to compromise, and let him go….
"Three!" Zhou Yixing's killing intent grew stronger, and the murderous aura of the 1,000 corpse troopers raged.
"Sacrifice yourself to save your clan?" Bai Xiaochun said coldly. "Or be buried along with them? The choice is up to you!" He raised his hand up into the air, and everyone could see that, if he dropped it, it would indicate that the executions were to be carried out!
He didn't need to make lengthy speeches. In fact, saying too much right now could actually be counterproductive.
"Two…." Zhou Yixing said. The pleading of the Miao Clan became like a sound wave that battered at the patriarch's heart and mind. He was on the verge of complete mental and emotional collapse. With the weight of death looming over him, his sense of duty toward his clan was now starting to outweigh his own selfish interest!
To some extent, the scene playing out was a mockery. Although the patriarch seemed to be ready to sacrifice himself for his clan, the truth was that if he could sense the slightest bit of hesitation in Bai Xiaochun, the slightest chance that he might make it out alive, he would make a very different decision!
"One!" As the word left Zhou Yixing's mouth, the Miao Clan patriarch smiled bitterly. Then he reached up to his forehead, grabbed Bai Hao, and threw him toward Bai Xiaochun!
"Let my clan go," he said. "A man must take responsibility for his actions; therefore, my life is yours for the taking!"
Bai Xiaochun's heart was pounding so hard that his veneer of coldness shattered. His anxiety erupted as he reached out to grab Bai Hao.
Bai Hao was clearly very weak, but as soon as Bai Xiaochun grabbed him, he opened his eyes and stared in shock and incredulity.
"Master…." he said. Then he passed out.
Heart trembling, Bai Xiaochun sent some divine sense out to confirm that Bai Hao was merely unconscious. Then he put him into his soulhoarding pagoda in his bag of holding.
When the Miao Clan patriarch saw all of that, his eyes went wide, and his mind began to spin. He heard Bai Hao call Bai Xiaochun Master, and saw how much Bai Xiaochun cared about him. Finally, everything suddenly clicked into place. The patriarch began to gasp for breath as the sacred feeling of having sacrificed himself for his clan was replaced by pure humiliation.
"You tricked me, Bai Hao!!!"
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Chapter 800: Master And Apprentice Reunited
The Miao Clan patriarch's howl was one of utter defeat. He had lost many things a moment ago. His wisdom. His judgement. Bai Hao. And his own life!
He had been completely and utterly vanquished!
"Kill those two!" Bai Xiaochun said coldly, flicking his sleeve.
All of the corpse troopers, even the one in silver armor, took to action, murderous auras raging.
The silver-armored corpse trooper alone would have been enough, but they all attacked. Therefore, there was nothing that the Miao Clan patriarch or Zhou Wudao could do to fight back. They were killed in body and soul.
They had been able to struggle a bit while Bai Hao was still in their custody to use as a threat. But right now, their screams and curses filled the air as their bodies were ripped to shreds. Blood and gore exploded out in all directions, and their nascent divinities were shattered!!
For the Zhou Clan, it was the end of an era. Although they still existed, for all intents and purposes, they were dead!
Their heavenly marquis pagoda had been destroyed, and their heavenly marquis killed. Their heir apparent was dead, and the Zhou Clan… would be stricken from the list of the heavenly marquis clans!
The Miao Clan had once been one of the most powerful clans in the Wildlands with their earthly necromancer. But now, they had no pillar of strength to support them.
Of course, Bai Xiaochun did not go back on his word. He said that he would spare the Miao Clan, and he did. However, he had Zhou Yixing secretly place branding marks on all of them. Although they escaped with their lives, if Zhou Yixing ever needed to, he would have a way to easily threaten them. And if they ever harbored truly ill intentions, he could easily kill them.
Not all the Miao Clan cultivators got off easily, though. Bai Xiaochun had Miao Lin'er imprisoned in the Grand Asylum. Her incredible good looks would obviously cause wicked thoughts to rise up in the men in the prison, but at the moment, Bai Xiaochun wasn't feeling merciful.
The events of the day immediately caused a stir in Arch-Emperor City. There wasn't a single person who didn't hear about what had occurred. As for the heavenly marquises, they were stricken with fear down to the last one.
Although all of them had had conflicts and even some fights with Bai Xiaochun, so far, none of the interchanges had ever escalated to the point of people dying. But now… a heavenly marquis and his successor had both been cut down!!
Even a heavenly marquis pagoda had been destroyed. After the initial gasps of shock, everyone assumed that what had happened had been ordered by the Grand Heavenmaster.
However, it didn't take long before the Grand Heavenmaster expressed his anger about the matter! At that point, the heavenly marquises realized… that the inspections commissioner had been acting for personal reasons!!
"This Bai Hao is crazy! I can't believe he actually killed people!!"
"He actually went and killed a heavenly marquis without the consent of the Grand Heavenmaster?!?!"
"This defies all laws and principles, even those of the heavens!!"
"This guy cannot be tolerated any longer! The inspections commissioner has too much power! If he can go crazy and kill Zhou Wudao, then who will be the next person he targets for death!?!?"
"This Bai Hao is a traitor! This is Arch-Emperor City! Who does he think he is, the second Grand Heavenmaster!?!?" The heavenly marquises were all enraged. Their previous hatred, especially that caused by the Proclamation of Universal Grace and the losses they had sustained because of it, caused them to detest Bai Xiaochun with all their being.
Because of their hatred and fear, there was no way that they would let Bai Xiaochun's one enormous illegal act just go unanswered. It didn't take long before the heavenly marquises were heading en masse to the imperial palace!
"This time he's going to die beyond the shadow of a doubt!"
"There's no way that this Bai Hao will escape by the skin of his teeth this time!!"
"No superhuman abilities will help him this time. He won't even have a corpse left!"
"Nobody can save him! The inspections commissioner's power comes from the Grand Heavenmaster. Today… he will face major tribulation!"
The heavenly marquises weren't the only ones to take action. The ten heavenly dukes left their heavenly duke pagodas and also headed to the imperial palace. Chen Haosong took the lead, a cold smile on his face. He knew… that not even the Grand Heavenmaster would be able to protect Bai Hao this time!
Bai Hao's crime was far too dramatic, and had crossed a bottom line that nobody in Arch-Emperor Dynasty could accept!!
All of the nobility and aristocracy were up in arms. As for the common people, when they heard about what had happened, they gasped at the enormity and insanity of it all.
It didn't take long for the news of Bai Xiaochun killing a heavenly marquis to reach the farthest corners of the Wildlands.
When the Giant Ghost King heard of it, his anger flared. He quickly pulled out a jade slip to send a message to Bai Xiaochun, but after a moment, put the jade slip away. Then he stamped his foot in anger, causing the entire royal palace to shudder.
"Too reckless!!"
When the Nine Serenities King got the information via jade slip, he frowned. He didn't care much that Zhou Wudao and the Miao Clan patriarch had been killed. The only reason he had helped them to begin with was because it benefited him. Although he didn't particularly care for Bai Xiaochun, he viewed him like an ant whose life or death didn't matter at all.
However, he did care about the fact that a heavenly marquis pagoda had been destroyed.
"Strange…." he murmured.
Meanwhile, in another part of Nine Serenities City, Prince Zhou Hong heard the news and immediately broke out into delighted laughter.
"Bai Hao, ah, Bai Hao. How will you possibly avert disaster this time!?"
Virtually everyone felt the same, that the situation was completely unresolvable.
As the Wildlands was shaken by the news, Bai Xiaochun was back in the Inspections Manor, where he had gone immediately after the events in the Zhou Clan.
He tossed his inspections commissioner medallion into his bag of holding, and dismissed Zhou Yixing with orders to lay low until things calmed down. As for his corpse troopers, they stood in ranks, motionless.
At the moment, the only thing Bai Xiaochun cared about was Bai Hao, who lay in his soulhoarding pagoda, slowly recovering. Eventually, his eyes fluttered open, and the first thing he saw was his Master, looking very haggard.
"Finally awake!" Bai Xiaochun said, a smile on his face. "You need to be more careful in the future. Come, come. Let Master tell you what's happened in the last month. Hmmmphh! You have no idea how awesomely your Master handled things. No one dared to provoke me! I even went and accused devas!"
Smiling, he went on to explain everything that had happened. To him, things already seemed like they had been a month before, with he and Bai Hao together, depending on each other for survival.
However, the more he talked about everything, the more Bai Hao's eyes began to glaze over.
"Master…." he said, trembling. When he heard that his Master had enacted the Proclamation of Universal Grace for him, and then learned of everything after that, he was suddenly struck deeply with a feeling of warm gratitude. Eventually, he flew out of his soulhoarding pagoda and dropped to his knees to kowtow to Bai Xiaochun.
"I never thought I would see you again, Master…." he said, his heart surging with emotions that he couldn't even express. After being captured, he had endured a month of torment, and yet had never revealed any of his Master's secrets. As of this moment, it all seemed worth it!
After all, the person Bai Hao cared about most in his heart was his Master!
To Bai Hao, the past month had been one of endless darkness and pain. He had felt himself being slowly burned away as the Miao Clan patriarch refined him. There had even been times when the patriarch attempted to soulsearch him. The Miao Clan's flame conjuring techniques required that they soulsearch and torment the intelligent soul until it submitted. Only then could the flame be conjured successfully. It was only possible to imagine how much pain Bai Hao had experienced!
During that time, he had been completely powerless to do anything. There were times when he had almost wished he could die, but in his determination, he had refused to give in. His Master had not yet conjured nineteen-colored flame, and in fact, he had not yet seen him succeed with eighteen-colored flame! And he had sworn an oath that he would make sure his Master fulfilled his dream of becoming a heavenly necromancer.
Therefore, he couldn't die. Nor did he want to! Maybe he would die one day, but it would only be after he helped his Master accomplish everything he needed to. Only then could he close his eyes in that final rest.
There were just too many things left to be done. Furthermore, he was also worried about what his Master would do without someone to watch over him. Presumably, he would get himself in all sorts of dangerous situations, and Bai Hao knew he needed to be there to give advice, and to help solve the problems!
That was his focus and determination, and it kept him going the entire month. He wasn't sure how much longer he would have been able to hold out, and eventually, he simply lapsed into unconsciousness. And then, he opened his eyes to see… his Master.
When Bai Xiaochun saw the look in Bai Hao's eyes, he felt very pleased with himself, and mused that he really was a trustworthy and inspiring Master. Tousling Bai Hao's hair, he said, "Hahaha! Moved? Well, didn't Master tell you that after you become his apprentice, you wouldn't regret it…?"
Bai Hao immediately kowtowed deeply and said, "Master, you have shown me incredible kindness. You saved my life! I will never forget this for the rest of my life!!!"
It was almost exactly the same as the scene which had played out in that mountain cave when he had just regained his mind after being a vengeful soul…. He kowtowed with no regrets and with full sincerity!
Bai Xiaochun stuck his chin up and flicked his sleeve.
"You're my apprentice," he said grandly, "and if anyone dares to lay a hand on you, they're basically slapping me in the face! Proclamation of Universal Grace? Ha! If that hadn't worked, my next plan was to get the lands of Heavenspan to invade the Wildlands to save you!"
As of this moment, he didn't look at all like the cold and ruthless person he had been in the past month. He was finally back to normal!
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Chapter 801: Is This Some Kind Of Joke?
Bai Hao was deeply moved, and his lips moved as if he wished to say something, but couldn't find the words. But then… Bai Xiaochun looked curiously at him, and asked a question which he couldn't hold in any longer.
"Hey, that plan with the Proclamation of Universal Grace worked pretty good. I've been wondering ever since you came up with it if your inspiration was being a bastard son of the Bai Clan?"
"Uhh…." Bai Hao was quite taken aback. His Master really was very changeable. In one moment he was domineering and heroic, and then, he switched to asking embarrassing questions.
After seeing how curious his Master seemed, Bai Hao hesitated for a moment, and then nodded.
When Bai Xiaochun saw his apprentice admit the truth, he sighed, then reached out and tousled his hair again.
"Now it makes sense why Madam Cai wanted to get rid of you…. That plan was really vicious…."
"Uhh…." Bai Hao really didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Bai Xiaochun had other questions he wanted to ask, but before he could, his expression flickered, and he looked up to see a red beam of light flying in his direction.
Even as it was still approaching, a voice rang out to fill the Inspections Manor!
"Bai Hao, you shameless lowlife! I'm gonna kill you!" It was the voice of a woman. Soon, she came into view, wearing a crimson robe, her fair face contorted by murderous rage. It was none other than Mistress Red-Dust, Zhou Zimo.
Earlier, Zhou Zimo had been in secluded meditation trying to break out from the early Deva Realm, and had thus been unaware of the commotion caused by the Proclamation of Universal Grace.
Moments ago, she had come out of meditation, depressed at having failed to break through. Furthermore, she found that her thoughts seemed sluggish and unclear, although she wasn't sure why. Chalking it up to a reaction from failing in her breakthrough, she decided not to worry about the matter. That was when she had heard about the Proclamation of Universal Grace, and immediately erupted in anger.
She had already detested Bai Xiaochun, and although some of the issues between them were misunderstandings that had eventually been resolved, she still hated him. That was especially true considering how he seemed to have tossed the Giant Ghost King to the wayside after being appointed as the inspections commissioner.
And now there was the issue of the Proclamation of Universal Grace. On any other occasion, Mistress Red-Dust would have been able to see past the surface of the situation, but right now, she wasn't thinking clearly. In her current state, she had somewhat of a one-track mind, and therefore, without taking the time to think about the situation, she flew up into the air. On the way, the Giant Ghost King sent her some messages, but she was so wrapped up in her determination to teach Bai Xiaochun a lesson that she ignored them.
Bai Xiaochun was startled. Initially, he had assumed the Grand Heavenmaster had sent people to apprehend him. Never could he have guessed that it would actually be Mistress Red-Dust, whom he hadn't seen in quite some time. Backing up, he tried to offer an explanation.
"Zimo, you need to listen to--"
"Shut up!" she yelled angrily. Landing in the Inspections Manor, she pointed accusingly at Bai Xiaochun and continued, "You ungrateful cur! Are you the one behind that Proclamation of Universal Grace?!?!"
Deva fluctuations erupted out from her, becoming a crimson beam of light that shot toward Bai Xiaochun.
Quicky putting Bai Hao away, he dodged the beam of light and said, "Listen, I can expl--"
However, before he could say anything further, Mistress Red-Dust attacked again.
She was at the peak of the early Deva Realm, and was attacking with full force, which meant that Bai Xiaochun was no match for her. That was even more the case considering he had already used the Undying Emperor's Fist twice today. Although he seemed fine on the outside, he actually needed more time to recover.
Mistress Red-Dust seemed very angry that he was dodging out of the way. Next, she performed an incantation gesture to summon a magical item, a red lotus, which began to rotate rapidly and cast bright light out in all directions.
As rumbling sounds filled the air, Bai Xiaochun backed up more. The fact that Mistress Red-Dust was attacking with full force, and not even letting him explain himself, caused his anger to spark.
"You crazy old biddy! Do you really think that I, the inspections commissioner, am afraid of you!?" A mere thought on his part caused all of his corpse troopers to look up, and bristle with murderous auras. Although none of them attacked, the silver-armored one stepped forward, his deva cultivation base surging with power. A moment later, the Quasi-Deva Realm black-armored corpse trooper also stepped forward.
The two corpse troopers began to fight with Mistress Red-Dust, who used her red lotus to slowly push them back. However, the apparent backlash from her failed breakthrough seemed to get worse, and her head suddenly began to swim. Snorting coldly, she contemplated the fact that she couldn't actually kill the damned Bai Hao. However, he was definitely a thankless wretch and an ungrateful cur who fully deserved a good beating.
Considering how extraordinary these two corpse troopers were, she finally backed up and even turned to leave. However, Bai Xiaochun wasn't willing to simply let things drop.
"Activate formation! Seal that woman in place!" Instantly, his nine half-deva corpse troopers flew out into the open to surround Mistress Red-Dust. The rest of the 5,000 also joined, creating a huge net-like seal that made it impossible for Mistress Red-Dust to escape.
An unsightly expression could be seen on Mistress Red-Dust's face as she realized that she was trapped. At the same time, her hatred for Bai Xiaochun grew stronger. Calling upon the power of her red lotus, she managed to break an opening into the lines of corpse troopers, and yet the moment she did, the backlash from her failed breakthrough worsened. Her divine sense didn't seem capable of keeping up with her desire to fight, which also caused her red lotus to lag.
On any other occasion, even that wouldn't have been a big problem. But she was facing the two most powerful of the corpse troopers, and they immediately detected her weakness. They pressed the attack, and booms rang out as Mistress Red-Dust's face drained of blood. At this point, it didn't matter how muddled her thoughts were, she realized that she was acting recklessly. She definitely should not have come looking to cause problems for Bai Xiaochun right after having failed at a breakthrough, and still suffering a backlash because of it.
Furthermore, she'd had no idea that Bai Xiaochun's corpse troopers were at this level. Before, he had commanded 3,000, but now he had 5,000. Plus, the silver-armored one was fully in the deva level.
"Too many things happened while I was in secluded meditation…." she thought, frowning. She began to back up, an unsightly expression on her face, but as she did, the net created by the 5,000 corpse troopers tightened around her.
That was when Bai Xiaochun saw his opportunity to take action. Jumping forward, he clenched his right hand into a fist and unleashed a fist strike in her direction!
"You're not going anywhere!" he shouted. The two most powerful corpse troopers attacked, backed up by the rest of the 5,000. Mistress Red-Dust was completely trapped, incapable of breaking free, and even her cultivation base was being sealed.
Not pausing for even a moment, Bai Xiaochun reached out, grabbed her arm, and pulled her down toward the ground. The two of them fell down, and by chance, she landed on her back, with him on top. Immediately, he could feel her soft curves, which instantly lit a fire inside of him. Without even thinking about it, he looked down at her beautiful, enticing lips.
"How dare you, Bai Hao!!" she shouted, her heart bursting with regret and alarm as she began to struggle against him. However, her cultivation base was sealed, an effect which would last for at least the time it took half an incense stick to burn.
The more she struggled, the more Bai Xiaochun's body tingled in response to what he was feeling. He even took a few deep breaths as he marveled at how attractive she was. However, externally, he put the fiercest expression possible onto his face and glared at her.
"Don't even think of trying to seduce me!!"
"You!!" she yelled angrily, her face flushing bright red and her eyes burning as if with fire. And yet, she could also see how her struggling was affecting her captor, so she stopped moving.
"You walked right into this trap, Zhou Zimo," he said harshly. "Fudge! Don't tell me you really want to get into my bed?!"
"Shut up, you shameless jerk! You ungrateful cur! You villain! How dare you treat me like this after how well my father took care of you!"
Bai Xiaochun frowned, examining her to try to determine if this was just an act…. From what he remembered, Mistress Red-Dust didn't usually behave like this. How could she really be confused by the situation with the Proclamation of Universal Grace? Unable to hold back, he reached out and place his hand on her forehead.
"No fever? Have you just gone stupid?" All of a sudden his eyes lit up. "Wait, does that scoundrel the Giant Ghost King actually have other children out there in the world? Ohhhhh." He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "You're not the only one? No way…. How many secrets does the old man have?" The more he thought about it, the more it made sense.
"Shut up! I'm my father's only daughter!" She was about to continue cursing him, when all of a sudden, her jaw dropped as she realized the truth of it all.
"Um… is this some kind of joke?" he asked. "If you're the only one, then you can't seriously expect me to believe that you didn't realize the Giant Ghost King was the person least affected by my plan! The other three kings all have multiple children, and now they'll be weakened. When the time comes, our family can easily take them out!"
With that, Bai Xiaochun blinked a few times. He had intentionally used the words 'our family' as a way to test things out. If this woman was going to come and pretend to be stupid, then he at least had to play along in some way.
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Chapter 802: Summons From The Grand Heavenmaster
"Shut your mouth! What do you mean our family? It's my family!" As she glared at him angrily, her flush deepened. Despite how muddled her thoughts were, she still felt humiliation and anger rising up inside of her.
First of all, she was currently pinned by Bai Xiaochun, and was very displeased at being touched in such a way. Second of all, she was coming to the realization that something strange was going on. Her thinking was too clouded. Furthermore, if she focused on an issue, it seemed that she would instantly make a decision about it and stick obstinately to that decision no matter what.
"How could this be happening? It's not that complicated of a situation. How come I didn't get what was going on…?" Mistress Red-Dust was really starting to feel suspicious. In all her years of cultivation, she had never experienced anything like this before. All of a sudden, she thought back to the technique her father the giant ghost king had encouraged her to cultivate. However, merely thinking about the technique suddenly caused her thoughts to grow murkier, and her heart to feel more obstinate….
"It was definitely father…." she thought, gritting her teeth.
Meanwhile, Bai Xiaochun looked into her phoenix-like eyes, and suddenly felt his heart seize as surely as if a tiny hand had grabbed it. He swallowed hard, thinking about how Mistress Red-Dust's body wasn't bad at all. Furthermore, the way her cheeks flushed when she was angry made her even more attractive than usual.
Mistress Red-Dust was fundamentally beautiful, and to see her confused and out of sorts only enhanced that beauty. All of a sudden, his heart began to race.
There was something different about Mistress Red-Dust. Hou Xiaomei tended to glare, and Song Junwan was soft on the outside but filled with dangerous thorns. But Mistress Red-Dust was like a beautiful serpent that you just wanted to reach out and touch to see what would happen….
"She's more of a vixen than Junwan!" he thought, gasping slightly. He immediately tried to get himself under control, but it was difficult considering that he was laying on top of her. Furthermore, although she wasn't struggling as fiercely as she had been before, she was still moving here and there in a way that caused his heartrate to increase by the moment.
"Ai, what powerful demon magic! Well, whatever. I, Bai Xiaochun, cannot let the Miao Clan patriarch outdo me in being willing to sacrifice. I guess I just need to put this demoness in her place!" Heart bursting with righteous intentions, he placed his right hand… onto her chest, just below her collarbone… and pushed down.
"Time to get put into place, demoness!" he shouted righteously. The fact that Bai Xiaochun was pushing his hand down onto her chest at first caused Mistress Red-Dust's jaw to drop. Then she screamed.
"Get your hands off me!!"
"So, the demoness dares to fight back!" he said grimly. "Good! Excellent! Just watch and see how I put you in your place!" For the sake of righteousness, he then placed his other hand onto her chest and pushed down….
"Do you have a death wish, Bai Hao?!?!" she yelled, her rage burning to incomprehensible heights.
The corpse troopers stood around them, no expressions on their faces whatsoever as they watched the struggling man and woman whom they had surrounded.
It was a charming scene that, if any random passerby happened to glance at without understanding the circumstances, would seem like….
However, the charming scene didn't last for very long. Perhaps it was because Mistress Red-Dust was being upset in a way that she never had been before, or perhaps it was some other reason. In either case, the sealing which had been placed onto her suddenly shattered.
When her cultivation base erupted with power, Bai Xiaochun immediately leaped away from her and backed up. As for Mistress Red-Dust, her eyes shone with cold light as she lunged forward to try to grab him.
Thunderous booming sounds filled the air, as well as a screaming wind. Bai Xiaochun shrieked as he fled, and Mistress Red-Dust chased him, her hair flying around crazily, and her face covered with a murderous look.
"I'm gonna kill you, Bai Hao!!"
"Men, stop this demoness!" Immediately, the previously stiff-faced corpse troopers leaped to intercept Mistress Red-Dust, their murderous auras seething.
Mistress Red-Dust's rage seemed to have increased her battle prowess quite a bit, and she managed to send quite a few corpse troopers flying out of her way. However, the silver-armored trooper was still a match for her, and before long, it was to her frustration and anger that she realized she couldn't get past him. Furthermore, Bai Xiaochun was encircled by a ring of corpse trooper bodyguards, who were escorting him further and further away from her.
By this point, Bai Xiaochun was blushing a bit, and realized that, considering the level of his own willpower, he shouldn't have acted like that just now. Apparently, Mistress Red-Dust's demon magic was just too powerful. Unwilling to admit that openly, though, he said, "What are you doing, Zimo? I was trying to help you! Um… it's obvious that you were ensorcelled by some demon magic! I was just trying to get rid of it!"
"Shut up!" Mistress Red-Dust retorted furiously. She was so angry she couldn't even come up with words to speak. She simply hovered in the air, staring at Bai Xiaochun behind his protective ranks of corpse troopers, and gnashed her teeth angrily.
Feeling a bit guilty, Bai Xiaochun cleared his throat. Flustered, he began to babble a bit. "Um… look, this was just a misunderstanding. What were we just talking about? Oh, right. You said that it wasn't our family it was your family…. Zimo, you're being to standoffish. Come on. Your family, my family. It's the same thing!"
Mistress Red-Dust glared at him coldly, but was aware that she had instigated the situation. Furthermore, it was just as Bai Xiaochun said: the Proclamation of Universal Grace did take the Giant Ghost King into consideration. However, when she thought of the humiliation which had just occurred, she couldn't suppress her fury.
Just as she was about to begin shouting again, her expression flickered, and she looked up into the air.
Bai Xiaochun's pupils constricted as he did the same. Up above, the air was distorting, and soon, a dark, shadowy figure stepped out of thin air.
He wore a black cloak that covered even his face. From the perspective of Bai Xiaochun and Mistress Red-Dust, he looked like little more than a black shadow!
His face was impossible to make out, and he was surrounded by inky darkness that seemed to be part of him, and him of it.
This man was none other than… the Grand Heavenmaster's most trusted aide, the previous inspections commissioner, Hei Ming!
When Mistress Red-Dust realized it was Hei Ming, she was clearly taken aback. As for Bai Xiaochun, he took a deep breath as he realized that… the moment he had been waiting for had arrived.
No one could see Hei Ming's expression. The only things anyone could see were his eyes, deep within the hood of his cloak. And yet, they didn't contain even a hint of emotion. After studying the Inspections Manor for a moment, he ignored Mistress Red-Dust and focused on Bai Xiaochun.
"Give me the command medallion," he said in the most sinister of voices, a voice which made the Inspections Manor seem to descend into the depths of winter.
Mistress Red-Dust's expression flickered, and Bai Xiaochun stood there quietly for a moment. Although it was no surprise that the inspections commissioner medallion was being taken away from him, he was still very nervous. And yet, he was also confident in being able to make it through the coming trouble.
Pulling the medallion out, he looked down at it for a moment, then tossed it out in front of him. It immediately became a streak of violet light that shot toward Hei Ming.
Hei Ming caught the command medallion and put it away. Then he spoke yet again in that sinister voice of his.
"Come with me, Bai Hao. The Grand Heavenmaster is awaiting an explanation!"
With that, he turned and flew up toward the imperial palace. Bai Xiaochun took a deep breath and quickly reviewed the preparations he had made for this moment. Then, he flew up after Hei Ming.
Mistress Red-Dust watched all of this happen, and although she was still angry with Bai Xiaochun, she also felt hesitation in her heart. After they left, she pulled out a transmission jade slip.
There were quite a few messages from the giant ghost king in the jade slip, but Mistress Red-Dust wasn't in the mood to check any of them. Instead, she sent an urgent message.
"Father, Hei Ming took away Bai Hao's inspections commissioner medallion. Then he led him away…."
Back in Giant Ghost City, the Giant Ghost King was sitting there anxiously. According to his original plan, he was supposed to have brainwashed Mistress Red-Dust a bit after she came out of secluded meditation. Instead, she had headed toward Bai Xiaochun with murderous intentions.
He had sent her several urgent messages, but she was completely focused on her own desires, and had ignored him. The Giant Ghost King was left with no other option than to smile wryly and sigh. But then, he got a message back, and after he saw it, his eyes began to shine brightly.
"Bai Hao is not the type of person who makes decisions rashly…. I wonder what secret weapon he has up his sleeve?"
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Chapter 803: Think You Can Take Me On?
As the Giant Ghost King sat there in silence, Bai Xiaochun followed Hei Ming up toward the imperial palace, trying as best he could to look calm and collected.
Of course, inwardly, he was anxious to the point of being terrified. He frantically reviewed his plan to make sure there were no holes in it; after all, if he made the slightest mistake, there would be no hope of making a comeback.
"I doubt anything will happen that I couldn't adjust for…. I couldn't have prepared any better…." He felt a bit better after a thorough analysis, but still couldn't stop wondering about what might or might not happen.
And thus, he and Hei Ming proceeded along in silence.
From the moment Bai Xiaochun had chosen not to consult the Grand Heavenmaster, but instead to attack the Zhou Clan with deadly force and lightning-like speed, he had known that it would cause a huge commotion!
But he had no regrets. He didn't trust and rely on the Grand Heavenmaster like he had in the past, and Bai Hao's safety had been of paramount importance. If even the slightest word had gotten out to alerts his enemies, the consequences could have been unimaginable.
And just as the Giant Ghost King had surmised, he had dared to act in the way he had because he had a secret weapon ready to go!
"I bet all of the heavenly marquises and dukes are there in Heavenmaster Hall, demanding that I be put to death…." Although he had his secret weapon, he still couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. However, it was an anxiety mixed with anticipation!
He couldn't wait to reveal his secret weapon to all of the important officials in the dynasty. And when that happened, the more they had antagonized him in the past, the louder the sound of the figurative slaps to their faces would be!
"In the past, I always relied on the power of the Grand Heavenmaster to fight with the aristocracy. But now… I'm not going to rely on anybody except myself! I'm going to personally slap them all, right upside the face!
"89 heavenly marquises. 10 heavenly dukes…. 99 important members of the aristocracy. I wonder what it will feel like to slap them…." The more he thought about it, the stronger his anticipation grew, to the point where he had trouble breathing calmly.
Before long, he and Hei Ming were in the imperial palace, and heading toward Heavenmaster Hall. As he walked along, his heart rate increased, and his nervous anticipation grew more intense.
At one point, when they were very close to their destination, Hei Ming suddenly stopped in place.
Bai Xiaochun was so wrapped up in his thoughts of what was to come that he was taken completely by surprise, and almost walked right into Hei Ming.
After a moment passed, Hei Ming said, "You acted… recklessly."
Although his voice was just as sinister as it normally was, if one listened carefully, one would be able to detect a bit of concern!
When Bai Xiaochun realized that, he looked surprised. Hei Ming had always acted very cold and detached, and therefore, this sudden presence of concern was totally unexpected!
Hei Ming didn't turn around. Back facing Bai Xiaochun, he said, "All the heavenly marquises and all the heavenly dukes… are working together. Even if the Grand Heavenmaster wanted to shield you from them, it would be very difficult."
Although no one was there to see it, mixed emotions were in his eyes.
He could tell that a storm of extermination was brewing in Heavenmaster Hall, a potential catastrophe for Bai Xiaochun. Furthermore, many of the things Bai Xiaochun had done in his time as the inspections commissioner caused Hei Ming to think back to when he had held the same office.
As such, it would be hard to find someone else in the Arch-Emperor Dynasty who could sympathize with how Bai Xiaochun felt better than Hei Ming.
They had both been inspections commissioners. And right now, the events which were playing out closely resembled what had occurred to Hei Ming all those years ago. The main difference was that Hei Ming had a very close personal relationship to the Grand Heavenmaster, and as such, had been protected. He had escaped death in that situation, and had stuck like a shadow to the Grand Heavenmaster ever since.
Most importantly, he had actually not committed a crime as serious as killing a heavenly marquis!
So in many ways, Bai Xiaochun's situation was different.
"Your only hope is the Grand Heavenmaster…. Bai Hao, you must… look out for yourself." Sighing, he proceeded onward.
Bai Xiaochun looked at Hei Ming as he walked off, and was moved. He had always taken Hei Ming to be cold and distant, but now, when Bai Xiaochun was facing imminent calamity, the fact that he had offered comforting words warmed his heart.
He peered intently at Hei Ming's back for a moment, then nodded softly and continued onward… to Heavenmaster Hall!
Not a sound could be heard from the closed door of the hall. However, as soon as he got close, he could sense that a complex, violent aura pulsed inside.
Hei Ming faded away into nothing, and Bai Xiaochun stood there waiting. A long moment passed, whereupon a voice echoed out from inside.
"Come in, Bai Hao!"
Bai Xiaochun shivered and took a deep, long breath. He knew that the show was about to begin, which made him nervous, but at the same time, more excited.
"Fudge, what do I have to be scared of? My secret weapon is so awesome that I'll be able to slap those dukes and marquises until they look as ugly as pigs! They're just waiting inside for me to go beat them up, right?! If they're not afraid, then what am I afraid for?! Heck, it would be a shame to not hit them considering they're sticking their faces out right in front of me and just waiting around!"
Gritting his teeth, he stepped forward and pushed the door open.
Immediately, more than a hundred gazes locked onto him!
The weakest of those gazes belonged to a half-deva, and the strongest belonged to a demigod. All of the aristocracy of the Arch-Emperor Dynasty, all of the most powerful experts, were gathered here, their gazes fused together to create pressure that could shake all creation. Even with his secret weapon, Bai Xiaochun couldn't help but lose much of his nerve thanks to all of those gazes.
The Grand Heavenmaster sat on the Heavenmaster Throne at the head of the hall, a grim look on his face. The ten heavenly dukes stood beneath him, their expressions icy cold.
Then came the 89 heavenly marquises…. they were now all of the heavenly marquises remaining in Arch-Emperor City, and all of them were looking coldly at Bai Xiaochun. Some had cold smiles, some had sneers, and other had eyes filled with pure killing intent.
Bai Xiaochun's heart was pounding, and sweat began to pop out on his forehead. For the first time in his life… he found himself at a disadvantage in a staring contest.
But there was little he could do about it. After all, he was single-handedly facing more than a hundred people!
"What shameless bullies!" he thought, shivering inwardly. However, he couldn't let them defeat his spirit before he even walked through the door. Gritting his teeth, he looked through the crowd until he found Zhao Xionglin staring viciously at him.
"It doesn't matter how many they have on their side!" he thought. "Lord Bai can at least defeat one of them! No surrender!" With that, he glared back steadily at Zhao Xionglin.
Zhao Xionglin was clearly taken by surprise, and couldn't help but think of the friction which had occurred between the two of them. All of a sudden, he felt uneasy.
"With all these people staring at him," he thought, "why did he have to latch onto me! What's he doing?!" He was immediately enraged. Unfortunately for him, though, he was definitely not as skilled in staring contests as Bai Xiaochun was. Bai Xiaochun's gaze looked like it was filled with blade light and sword projections, a windstorm of blood and carnage, a type of madness that seemed to be willing to die fighting with the enemy! Zhao Xionglin was shaken, and could only assume that in the face of death, this mad dog was somehow going to try to kill him as he went out….
Then he thought about all the incredible things Bai Xiaochun had accomplished so far, and how, despite being faced with so many enemies in one place, he was still acting like this. That in itself was very telling. Before long, Zhao Xionglin was completely convinced of his earlier theory, and considering how dangerous that made things for him, he finally just looked away.
Seeing that Zhao Xionglin didn't dare to look at him caused Bai Xiaochun's spirits to soar. "Think you can take me on?" he thought. "Yellow-bellied wimp!"
Feeling very impressive, he stepped into Heavenmaster Hall, clasped hands and bowed to the Grand Heavenmaster.
"Your humble servant Bai Hao offers greetings, Grand Heavenmaster!"
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